When one of the world's richest men wants a car, he usually gets it—but not this time! Mercedes-Benz actually refused to sell Bill Gates a specific model, and the reason might surprise you.

Bill Gates once tore down highways in turbocharged Porsches and stacked speeding tickets like trading cards. Now? He's cruising around Seattle in a cherry red Fiat 500e with a top speed of just 100 ...