Cowell drove $1.7m car just twice in 3 years

Music mogul Simon Cowell has driven his Bugatti Veyron worth $1.7 million twice in three years.

Cowell splashed out on the vehicle in 2010 after falling in love with it when he spotted it in a showroom in Beverly Hills, California, but he only decided to part with his money after phoning a friend to check if he was making the right decision.

Contactmusic.com repors that Cowell shared the details about the car on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and said: "It was beckoning me to buy it. Seriously. The following day I walked in and bought it."

Earlier in the episode, Ellen gave Cowell, who is expecting his first child with US socialite Lauren Silverman in February, a mini-Bugatti as a present for his unborn son, and he was delighted with the gift.

"Oh my god. I love it," he said.