The Globe and Mail

Robert Herjavec

Profession: CEO of Herjavec Group; judge on CBC’s Dragons’ Den and ABC’s Shark Tank; author, Driven: How to Succeed in Business and in Life

Age: 48

Hometown: Varazdin, Croatia

Notable achievements: Started one of the first companies to supply corporations with Internet security systems; sold his first business to AT&T for more than $100-million in 2000; sold a Silicon Valley-based technology company to Nokia for $225-million

Currently: Dragons’ Den, Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. on CBC; Shark Tank, Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on ABC

Robert Herjavec is a self-made millionaire and the nice judge on CBC’s Dragons’ Den and ABC’s Shark Tank.

In addition to handing out cash to budding entrepreneurs, he also splurges on cars. He just added two more to his collection: a 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and a 2011 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead coupe.

Why did you buy an SLS AMG?

I’m the first person to buy it in Canada. I’ve had one on order for four years and then I saw the first photos of it and I cancelled my order. It doesn’t look as good in photos.

The guys at Mercedes told me they cancelled, but they didn’t because they knew I would love it when I saw it. They did an amazing job. It’s one of the few cars you have to see in real life.

When I ordered the SLS, I asked Mercedes to build one in matte black because that is so cool.

The guys in Canada said yes because we know I’m a big celebrity. And then the request made it all the way to Germany and they said, who? That is why I have a red one and not matte black.

It’s so beautiful. I feel like a 15-year-old boy staring at the gorgeous cheerleader and then she says yes to me to go on a date and you’re afraid. I walk into my garage everyday and I look at it. It’s so beautiful I don’t want to drive it. I’m afraid to drive it because I’m afraid someone is going to hurt it.

What does the SLS say about you?

I appreciate fine cars.

I don’t think it’s a showy car. I don’t think the average person looks at the SLS and says that’s a $250,000 car.

I think it says that I really love cars.

But it has more than 500 horsepower – do you really need that much? You can’t appreciate it in Canada. What’s the point of buying one?

I love the car. Are we going to go through a phase where the high horsepower is going to go away – are the super-fast cars going to become like cigarettes in 20 years? Where kids, my daughter’s generation, would look back and go, why would you have a car with 700 horsepower?

I hope we don’t get there because it’s not about driving fast all the time. It’s about experiencing the overall essence of the car.

Why did you buy the Rolls – isn’t that an old man’s car?

No! Have you seen the Drophead coupe?

All my friends think I’m nuts! Rolls-Royce – what are you 90 years old?

I think driving isn’t just about going fast. It’s about the experience and the occasion.

The Drophead coupe is a wonderful car. Wherever I go, I feel great. It’s such an experience, a wonderful car to drive.

You also own a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 roadster, a Gallardo Spyder, an Aston Martin DB7 Vantage, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a BMW 7-Series and a Cadillac Escalade – how do you decide what to drive?