Shaquille O’Neal, the former NBA MVP, enjoys customizing his cars. It’s preferable if they’re large enough to accommodate his 7ft 1in frame. So, how does he fit into his Smart? He had the roof sawed away. He even had the pedals on his Ferrari and Lamborghini enlarged, albeit how he does it with size 23 shoes is a puzzle.
The baller was born in New Jersey on March 6, 1972, and spent his childhood on military posts in Germany and Texas with his army sergeant stepfather. He attended Louisiana State University before entering the NBA, where he was named Rookie of the Year in 1993. Shaq began with a modest Ford Bronco II before progressing to Italian exotics and one-of-a-kind luxury vehicles. He’ll have logged some big cross-country miles after playing for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. He retired from racing in 2011 after 19 seasons and has subsequently focused on some fairly unique three- and four-wheelers.
He is 49 today, and chances are he’ll be celebrating in Tony Montana’s Caddy…
1963 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible
Not just any 1963 Cadillac Eldorado, like Tony Montana in Scarface. When Michelle Pfeiffer joined Al Pacino on the extravagant upholstery, her character described the car as “looking like somebody’s nightmare.” Shaq is a major admirer of the 1983 film and purchased the car to drive around his adoptive city of Orlando.
1998 Ferrari 355 F1 Spider
How can one of the NBA’s most powerful players fit inside a mid-engined Ferrari? To begin, the soft top was removed and replaced with a bespoke tonneau cover to create what Shaq refers to as a “forever convertible.” To give the owner additional legroom, the stock fuel tank was changed with a unique front-mounted tank, which pushed the seats back nine inches. The two-tone black and grey interior was changed with bigger aftermarket chairs embroidered with The Big Agave’s Shaq-Superman emblem. A custom Alpine sound system was also installed, allowing him to listen to his four self-recorded rap albums. The license plate “Shaq F1” refers to the 355’s Formula One-inspired paddle-shift transmission rather than his favorite racing.
Customised Chevrolet Express G1500 (2001)
Customised Cadillac Escalade (2002)
Bentley Azure, Arnage and Continental GT (2003)
Customised Mercedes S550 Convertible (2006)
Lamborghini Gallardo (2007)
Customised Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible (2016)
Polaris Slingshot (2017)
