Shaq's Cars Have One Very Expensive Problem
Being 7'1" has its advantages, especially when you're an NBA legend. But buying a sports car? That's another story. Shaquille O'Neal has spent years turning beautiful, expensive automobiles into vehicles he can actually fit inside. Some required relatively modest changes. Others practically had to be rebuilt from scratch.
Michael Caulfield Archive, Getty Images
Why Shaq Can't Just Buy A Lamborghini
Most performance cars are designed around relatively compact cabins. Shaq, meanwhile, stands 7'1" and has weighed more than 300 pounds. Finding enough legroom, shoulder room, and headroom isn't easy. Fortunately, Shaq has enough money to commission some seriously unusual automotive engineering. And the results are incredible.
Smart Fortwo: The Simplest Solution
Arguably the funniest vehicle associated with Shaq is his Smart car. Rather than attempting to transform the tiny vehicle into something enormous, his solution reportedly involved removing its roof. That addresses headroom, although it doesn't magically turn the little car into a limousine. The cost of this unusual modification has never been publicly disclosed.
Matti Blume, Wikimedia Commons
Smart Fortwo: A Very Different Kind Of Convertible
Removing a roof might sound straightforward compared with stretching a Lamborghini, but it's hardly a normal customization. Structural reinforcement can matter enormously when changing a car's roof. The exact work performed on Shaq's Smart car hasn't been publicly itemized, making it impossible to put a reliable price on the conversion.
Alexander Migl, Wikimedia Commons
Ferrari 360 Modena: Making An Italian Exotic Fit
Shaq has also owned a customized Ferrari 360. Reports describe modifications to his Ferraris that provided more room for his enormous frame. While most Ferrari owners worry about horsepower and exhaust notes, Shaq's biggest concern was something considerably more basic: getting comfortable behind the steering wheel. Unfortunately, the price of those modifications remains unknown.
Ferrari 360: Every Inch Counts
The difficulty with modifying a mid-engined Ferrari is that practically everything sits close together. You can't simply slide the driver's seat backward indefinitely. Major changes require careful consideration of the cabin and components behind it. Unfortunately, a verified, itemized bill for Shaq's 360 modifications isn't publicly available.
The Car Spy, Wikimedia Commons
Ferrari F355 Spider: A Much Bigger Job
Shaq's silver 1998 Ferrari F355 Spider received some truly unusual modifications. West Coast Customs altered the seating position and removed the original fuel tank from its factory location. The goal was simple: create enough room for the basketball superstar to actually enjoy driving it. Exactly how much Shaq paid for the work remains a mystery.
The Car Spy, Wikimedia Commons
Ferrari F355: Moving The Fuel Tank
To accommodate Shaq's seating position, the F355's original fuel tank was removed and replaced with a custom fuel cell mounted beneath the front hood. That's a serious change to a Ferrari's packaging. Moving fuel-system components isn't exactly the sort of job you undertake during a routine service appointment.
The Car Spy, Wikimedia Commons
Ferrari F355: A Roof That Never Returned
The F355 also lost its conventional folding soft top, receiving a custom tonneau-style rear cover instead. This helped accommodate Shaq's height while completely changing the car's character. The Ferrari later reached the used-car market, proving that a vehicle customized for a seven-footer can have quite an interesting second life.
The Car Spy, Wikimedia Commons
Jeep Wrangler: More Room For The Big Man
You might assume a Jeep Wrangler would easily accommodate someone Shaq's size. Apparently, even a rugged SUV wasn't quite enough. West Coast Customs transformed a four-door Wrangler into a highly personalized two-door version with unusual proportions and additional interior space. The final bill for the extensive modifications has never been publicly revealed.
Jeep Wrangler: A Strange Kind Of Stretch
Reports describe Shaq's customized Wrangler as approximately 20.6 inches longer than a standard two-door model. The conversion also included a lift, customized interior materials, and distinctive exterior styling. Unlike a standard lifted Jeep, this project involved changing the vehicle's body configuration to produce something much more personal.
Dinkun Chen, Wikimedia Commons
Jeep Wrangler: Definitely Not Factory Standard
The finished Wrangler featured black leather, suede, glossy interior details, and a matte-black exterior. It's one of those vehicles that looks relatively normal until you compare its dimensions with a regular Jeep. The exact bill remains private, but transforming a four-door model into a longer two-door is substantial work.
Vaydor: A $115,000 Custom Supercar
In 2018, a Florida custom-car business revealed that it had built an extraordinary Vaydor for Shaq. Based on an Infiniti G35 platform, the striking vehicle resembled an exotic supercar. The problem? Its original proportions weren't particularly friendly to a man standing over seven feet tall, and the completed custom build reportedly cost $115,000.
priceman 141, Wikimedia Commons
Vaydor: Eleven Extra Inches
Builders at Custom Crafted Cars explained that they needed to stretch Shaq's Vaydor by 11 inches. They also relocated its fuel tank into the trunk, making more room inside. Extra legroom and shoulder room were essential. This wasn't merely cosmetic customization—it involved substantially changing the car's underlying dimensions.
Carolinavaydor, Wikimedia Commons
Vaydor: The Price Of Extra Space
The builders told Bay News 9 that Shaq's finished Vaydor cost approximately $115,000, compared with around $75,000 for a standard example. That's a $40,000 difference, although it covered the broader custom build, not exclusively the changes required to fit him. Still, those extra inches certainly weren't cheap.
Sirpalmtree, Wikimedia Commons
Lucid Air: Turning Four Doors Into Two
In December 2024, Shaq revealed something unusual: a Lucid Air electric sedan transformed into a two-door coupe. West Coast Customs completed the project, producing a car that looked surprisingly close to a factory model. But underneath its elegant appearance was some serious custom bodywork, and the cost of the conversion hasn't been disclosed.
Lucid Air: Bigger Doors, Easier Entry
The original Lucid Air has four conventional doors. Shaq's version has two much longer ones, making it easier for him to enter and exit. Creating those openings involved altering the body structure and exterior panels. It wasn't simply a matter of ordering oversized replacement doors from a dealership.
Phillip Pessar, Wikimedia Commons
Lucid Air: Customization With Personality
Naturally, Shaq wanted his Lucid to look special too. West Coast Customs replaced the usual front branding with a badge reading "Diesel," one of his nicknames. Superman-themed wheel details completed the look. The price of the conversion hasn't been confirmed, despite the considerable work involved.
Chevrolet Corvette Z06: Twenty Inches Longer
In September 2025, Shaq received one of his most ambitious custom vehicles yet. Effortless Motors had stretched a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 by approximately 20 inches. Considering the C8's mid-engine layout and low roofline, that was quite an engineering challenge. Even Shaq's enormous garage collection had nothing quite like it, although the modification costs remain undisclosed.
UltraTech66, Wikimedia Commons
Corvette Z06: The Doors Became Enormous
Shaq's Corvette features heavily modified doors, body panels, interior components, and custom glass. The new doors measure approximately 54 inches long, about 14 inches longer than standard. Builders also had to create appropriately sized windows. Producing those unusual pieces was apparently a headache of its own.
Corvette Z06: Even The Roof Was Enlarged
The Corvette's removable roof panel was stretched from approximately 24 inches to 36 inches. Builders also lowered the seating position to accommodate Shaq's height. Interestingly, published footage indicates that he still sits extremely high in the cabin. Making a Corvette bigger doesn't automatically make it roomy.
Charles from Port Chester, New York, Wikimedia Commons
Corvette Z06: An Expensive Engineering Challenge
The custom Corvette reportedly took months to complete. Its enormous windows even cracked during the delivery process, requiring replacements. Although the build's final price hasn't been publicly established, the amount of custom fabrication makes it a strong contender for Shaq's most complicated conversion. Then there's his Lamborghini.
Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, Wikimedia Commons
Lamborghini Gallardo: The $600,000 Monster
Shaq's stretched Lamborghini Gallardo is arguably his most famous automotive experiment. Instead of accepting that a conventional Gallardo was too small, he commissioned a dramatically lengthened version. The solution reportedly involved buying two Lamborghinis and combining parts to create one extraordinary supercar, with the entire project reportedly costing approximately $600,000.
Lamborghini Gallardo: Two Cars Become One
In his autobiography, Shaq described purchasing a new Lamborghini and an older damaged example. The vehicles were cut apart and used to produce a longer car. Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters carried out the custom work, reportedly adding approximately 12 inches to the wheelbase and extending the surrounding bodywork.
stephenhanafin, Wikimedia Commons
Lamborghini Gallardo: Why It Cost So Much
Modifying the Gallardo meant altering its proportions, including the doors, roof, and side windows. At a reported total project cost of around $600,000, it represents the biggest publicly reported expenditure among these builds. Importantly, that amount includes purchasing the donor vehicles, rather than just labor and modification expenses.
Lamborghini Gallardo: An Unfortunate Ending
Despite all that money and engineering, Shaq's relationship with the Gallardo reportedly ended after he spun the car during a drive in Florida. He subsequently sold it to fellow NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire. Some reports put the resale price at approximately $110,000. That's an astonishing drop from the original project's reported cost.
Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, Wikimedia Commons
The Price Of Being Shaq
Shaq's collection proves that fitting into a dream car can require far more than moving a seat backward. From relocating Ferrari fuel tanks to stretching a Corvette by 20 inches, his builders have tackled some extraordinary challenges. And with a reported $600,000 Lamborghini project, being the biggest guy on the road certainly isn't cheap.
MarkScottAustinTX, Wikimedia Commons
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