The beyond famous NBA star claims it was his “worst purchase”
Shaquille O’Neal — otherwise known as Shaq, Diesel, and a handful of other nicknames — is almost larger than life. But we aren’t just talking about his incredible basketball track record or nearly half a billion-dollar net worth. He’s physically a huge guy, weighing over 320 pounds and standing just over seven feet tall. When you’re a man of that stature and means, well, sometimes you improvise. In a recent interview, Shaq confessed that he bought two Ferraris — one “real” and one salvage — before trying to splice them together in order to accommodate his frame. There’s a surprising tale of ups and downs behind the decision.
Ex-Shaq owned Ferrari F355 Bring a Trailer
Turning two Ferraris into one wasn’t an outright disaster, at first
When Shaq was quizzed about what his “worst purchase” was, he didn’t hesitate. He immediately recounts his experience trying to fit himself into a car wearing the prancing horse badge. “I bought two Ferraris,” he starts. ”I bought a real Ferrari. I bought a salvage Ferrari. Cut my real Ferrari in half, took pieces of the salvage Ferrari to stretch it, and then realized I couldn’t fit.” He goes on to say that taking the top off permanently gave him about five inches of additional headroom, which was barely enough to fit. Incredibly, the star says it “worked out good,” until Florida weather managed to get the better of him.
So, what happened? “I didn’t read the weather report, and I went to Miami from Fort Lauderdale. And on the way back, it started raining, and the whole car got flooded out,” Shaq said in the interview. So, the car actually worked, drove, and accommodated him, only to be thwarted by rain. Now for the second mystery: Is Shaq referring to his silver on black F355 that sold on Bring a Trailer just a few years ago, or a separate vehicle? That silver car had an unreported wreck that came to light during the most recent sale, which reportedly salvaged the car. Where did the “real” Ferrari go, or is there another permanently topless Ferrari out and about?
Ex-Shaq Owned Ferrari F355 Bring a Trailer
Shaq’s a known car guy, and sliced Ferrari fits with some of his more intriguing car purchases
From the F355 to slammed Cadillac Escalades on 26-inch wheels and customized Chevrolet Express vans, Shaq has owned a little bit of everything. His collection even included a permanently topless Mercedes S-Class convertible with suicide doors, a metalcrafter-modified Gallardo that’s twelve inches longer than the regular car, and everything in between. With money comes means, and we’re not surprised at all that Shaquille O’Neal spent double to buy the Ferrari that he wants.
Final thoughts
Y’know, we have to wonder if the boys in Maranello would put you on the no-fly list for trying something like what Shaq did today. Perhaps we should just be grateful. Since we don’t see similarly sized NBA high-flyers making modifications like Shaq did, we have to assume the Italians figured out how to make cars that fit their high-rolling and tall-standing clientele.
