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Or sign-in if you have an account.Luc Poirier, a real estate tycoon in Quebec, sits in one of his 35 ferraris at his warehouse in La Prairie, Quebec. His collection is valued at over $90 million. Photo by Nasuna Stuart-Ulin for BloombergReviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.When Lewis Hamilton races his Ferrari at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, Luc Poirier will have more than a passing interest.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe real estate mogul has one of the largest Ferrari collections in North America — 38 in all — including a prized Daytona SP3, a model that fetched a record US$26 million in a sale last year. He keeps the cars stored in a secret warehouse a few kilometres from the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, where the Formula One event is held.“It’s the one week of the year when my wife and I are going out, we’re all over the place,” said Poirier, who expects to be part of one of the exclusive events hosted by Ferrari NV, the brand he cherishes. “The car is a masterpiece.”Breaking business news, incisive views, must-reads and market signals. Weekdays by 9 a.m.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Posthaste will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againPoirier, who says he’s amassed a roughly $800 million fortune from real estate and cars, started from humble roots. He got his first taste of the business world swapping hockey cards at age 14. His gambit was trading cards of Quebec-born players like Patrick Roy, adored by teenagers in his Montreal suburb of Longueuil, for English-speaking players like Wayne Gretzky, who commanded a premium as the best player back then.“I quickly understood market differentiation, and that there is money to be made from this,” he explained in an interview from his office overlooking his Ferraris, aligned in a rainbow of bright reds, yellows and blues.His cards business, which earned him over $60,000, allowed him to set aside enough money at age 16 to buy his first car — a used Porsche 924 Turbo — for about $7,000, even before he got his driver’s license. The car stood out so much in his social housing community that two police officers knocked on his door the same day, assuming it was stolen.From cards, Poirier branched out to other ventures and eventually opened a small computer shop selling floppy disks before he turned 20. He later bought the building from his bankrupt landlord for $155,000, launching what would become a lucrative career in real estate. His eponymous firm now runs tens of millions of square feet of land, office space and homes in the Greater Montreal area.One of his recent deals was the 2023 sale of an industrial plot of land to Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt AB for $240 million, which he had purchased about a decade earlier for $20 million with two other partners. Northvolt went bankrupt in 2024.“Of all real estate products, land is definitely the most difficult,’’ Poirier said. “It’s impossible or nearly impossible to finance, except with private lenders,” though the risk can produce high returns.Poirier, 50, is open about his wealth, which doesn’t always sit well in Quebec, where he has faced criticism, especially online, from people who see him and his car collection as ostentatious.Poirier pushes back, often discussing on social media how he built his fortune to “change the mindset — that money isn’t bad.” He’s also given back, supporting charities and institutions with his wife, Isabelle Gauvin, including to an anti-bullying initiative and to HEC Montreal, a French-language business school.While real estate pays the bills, cars are his true obsession. His Ferrari collection is now worth over $100 million, he says. More than a hobby, the cars also provide cash flow in a pinch.“At first, it was a passion, but it also became an investment,” he said. “If things go badly with a land property, I’ll sell cars.” Though selling is in no way part of the plan — he wants to buy more.Poirier started driving Ferraris in the early 2000s, buying and reselling them often, usually at a higher price. In 2019, he wanted to buy a new 488 Pista Spider, but couldn’t get his hands on one. Not just anyone with money can purchase the limited series supercar as Ferrari cultivates exclusivity among its proven collectors.“So I started a collection,” he said, beginning with a used red 2003 Enzo. Since then, Poirier has become a prolific Ferrari buyer, adding a 1985 288 GTO, a 1990 F40, a 1997 F50, a 2017 LaFerrari Aperta — five models he says make up a collector’s “Holy Grail.” The collection also includes a 1962 250 GT modified by the Carrozzeria Allegretti body shop, and a Michael Schumacher 2004 Formula One car chassis and body.Though he wasn’t able to get a Pista Spider directly from Ferrari, he ended up buying a used one at a premium. Among his latest additions is the Daytona SP3, for which he paid about US$2.6 million, customizing it with a flashy orange paintwork and blue seats. In August, a tailor-made version of this model fetched a record price at auction for a new Ferrari, the automaker said in a press release.“I always have some on order, three to four years in advance,” said Poirier. All his cars are registered in Quebec, and he has no qualms about driving them around — except during the harsh winters and in the spring, when potholes litter the roads.For his day-to-day activities, he uses his Porsches — which he says have enough space for a few grocery bags — or his Rolls-Royce Ghost. The car he finds most practical is his pedestrian Chrysler Pacifica, which gets the most usage.Marshall Spotleson, a Sotheby’s Motorsport sales and valuation specialist, confirmed that Poirier’s estimate of more than $100 million for his collection is in line with current values. “The Ferrari market has been very strong as of late,” he said.“All the hit list cars that are the go-to Ferraris are definitely on that list,” he said. “There are people that have 40-car collections, but to have 40 Ferraris is very unique and very limited.”Ferrari declined to share Poirier’s ranking among its largest collectors.Poirier is so passionate about Ferraris that he ordered an Embraer SA Praetor private jet decorated like a Ferrari, painted with a red line on the outside, and black leather with red stitches and carbon fiber finishes on the inside.“The kitchen, the toilet, all is made of carbon,” he said. 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