‘I won the World Snooker Championship and then spent £50K on one extravagant purchase’ | Other | Sport
Dennis Taylor splashed out £50,000 on a luxury car following his World Snooker Championship triumph in 1985. The 77-year-old from Coalisland, Northern Ireland, first broke onto the snooker scene back in 1972.
He clinched his only world title 13 years later, narrowly defeating Steve Davis in the iconic 18-17 black-ball final at the Crucible. Taylor won a hefty £60,000 prize for his efforts. However, he wasted little time in making a considerable dent in those earnings. The bulk of it was spent on a sleek dark blue BMW 750, which cost him £50,000.
Looking back on the lavish expenditure, he said: “I did allow myself one extravagant purchase after I won the world championship. I went and spent £50,000 on a car, and I couldn’t believe I did it really.
“When I think back to when I first moved to England at 17, the first car I bought cost me £15. I often joke about it, it was the same price as a block of new chalk cost. To spend £50,000 on a motorcar was a bit silly back then, but I suppose I earned it anyway.”
Taylor’s 1985 World Championship victory was far from straightforward as he found himself trailing 9-1 against Davis at the Crucible before mounting a remarkable comeback to secure his victory. After that memorable night in April four decades ago, he never managed to progress beyond the quarter-finals of the competition.
Davis, meanwhile, went on to secure six World Championship titles of his own throughout his glittering career. His first triumph came in 1981, while his final championship title was won in 1989.
It comes as Wu Yize became the second youngest ever world champion earlier this month, following his own 18-17 final victory over Shaun Murphy at the Crucible. The 22-year-old also became the second consecutive Chinese player to lift the trophy, following compatriot Zhao Xintong’s landmark success in 2025.
By winning the tournament’s first 35th-frame decider since 2002, Wu pocketed a considerably more handsome sum than Taylor received four decades ago, walking away with £500,000 alongside the sport’s most coveted trophy.
