Pablo Escobar wasn’t just any drug lord, he was (probably) the richest ever and it’s not a secret that Pablo Escobar cars were expensive and his collection was massive. Pablo was so fond of four-wheelers that he even became an amateur race car driver taking part in Copa Renault where he finished 4th in the championship. There were many race cars in his collection like the 1974 Porsche 935 IROC RSR which Pablo Escobar bought in 1978.
His criminal career started with vehicles as he used to sell stolen cars. In 1974 he was caught with a stolen Renault and detained but the charges were dropped as he had convinced the police he had instead bought the car in good faith. While detained he met Alfredo Gomez who was in the smuggling business and jumpstarted Pablo’s career.
Pablo Escobar’s cars collection
- Porsche 911 IROC RSR (1974) with a 935 body
- Porsche 911 Targa (1973)
- Porsche 356A
- Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman
- Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
- Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
- Cadillac V-8 Town Sedan (1928)
- DeSoto S8
- Rolls Royce Phantom I
- Renault 4
- Simca 1000
- Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40, FJ60, FJ62
+ tens if not hundreds of other unidentified vehicles
The Toyota land Cruisers were very popular in the drug business during the 70s to 90s and were known as “Narcoyotas” during that time. It was common to spot a whole fleet of them in muddy Colombia driving in sketchy areas which in turn actually helped police as they became easy to spot.
Out of all the vehicles in the Pablo Escobar car collection, the Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman is the most extravagant. This model was especially popular with dictators as well and suited Mr. Escobar well.
Pablo Escobar also shot his Cadillac to make it look like Al Capone’s.
Today, the value of Pablo Escobar’s cars would be tens of million of dollars, 40+ sports cars were found in one of his properties and most of them were burned down by rival cartels. The lion’s share comes from the RSR which goes for around 2 million dollars and was recently put up for an auction by Sotheby’s. The other expensive cars would be the 300 SL Merc’s which were around 70-100 thousand dollars new but would be well into the millions today as well. Also, the Cadillac and Rolls-Royce would fetch a huge dollar. Pablo Escobar is also rumored to have owned a Lamborghini LM002.
Mr. Escobar also loved motorcycles and he was a fan of Harley-Davidson and bought one which was previously owned by Frank Sinatra himself.
Other types of transport Pablo owned were submarines, boats and planes mainly for drug smuggling but he also occasionally flew with a private plane, sometimes to vacay or to do business.
Pablo Escobar’s Porsche: 911 RSR that looked like a 935
The most widely know car of Pablo is the 911 which was raced by the Brazilian F1 champ, Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974 at the IROC then with a Safari Beige body paint.
IROC – Internation Race of Champions was an event where 12 invited drivers competed with an identical stock car. Drivers were invited from series such as Formula 1, IndyCar and Can-Am. In 1974 they raced with the 315bhp 3.0-liter 911, fifteen of them were made in Germany specifically for the event.
After IROC the car was sold to a private collector who used it in different races and later sold it to Pablo Escobar.
In Pablo’s hands, the car was modified to look like a 935 with the Martini livery. His cousin’s company’s “Bicicletas Ositto” stickers can be seen plastered on the car as well.
Racing career of Pablo Escobar
Pablo’s racing career started in the late 70s when the Renault 4 became very popular in Colombia. This little unassuming 24 horsepower car was adopted by the people and it became the most popular model. The racing series Copa Renault 4 was made for it and Escobar was one of the competitors in the 1979 season in the amateur division. Since many other participants were also related to drug traffickers, the series was jokingly called the “Coca Renault”. Escobar supported the development of local race tracks and drivers as well.
Pablo’s highest position in the championship standings was 2nd, but typically for Pablo, he had some unfair advantages. Pablo Escobar’s car was more powerful and while he lost time in corners he was still able to catch and pass people in the straights. Pablo also had unlimited spare parts and would pull up to events with 4 cars, one for himself, one for his cousin (who was also in the team), and 2 other cars just in case something would happen.
At other times Pablo would come up with ways to sabotage his rivals. One time he used his connections in the police to hold up the fastest driver Alvaro Mejia. The police stopped Mejia to perform checks on him so he would be late to the race. Another thing they would do was throw nails and spikes on the tracks to stop other racers.
He ended the season placed 4th but he didn’t take part in the last 3 races. Had he done so, he could’ve contested for the top place in the championship. When asked by journalists about his success on the track Pablo replied: “I can’t deny it, life smiles at me, I’m a lucky man“.
Pablo was sponsored by his brother’s company “Bicicletas Ositto” as well as “Depósitos Cundinamarca” and wore the number 70. Fun fact, before races Pablo would smoke Marijuana, he felt it enhances his performance. He was also the only driver that would arrive with a helicopter and after the race offer everyone meals and champagne.
Pablo later used his Porsche to take part of hillclimb events as well. His cousin Gustavo also has a race-spec Porsche (number 23 on the picture) which looks identical to Pablo’s. They bought 2 indentical cars for them to use. This just shows the immense wealth of the family, they could buy whatever they wanted and however many.
He also raced in the Marlboro Cup with the Simca. Read about the Marlboro livery.
Pablo Escobar sponsoring Ricardo Londoño
Ricardo, nicknamed “Cuchilla” (Blade) was a talented Colombian racing driver with dreams of racing in Formula 1. Because getting funding for a racing career was very hard at that time Ricardo befriended the Medellín Cartel alongside Pablo Escobar. Since Pablo had a passion for motorsports the relationship was very good. As a friend of the cartel Ricardo’s international career had a better outlook thanks to the drug money.
Ricardo Londoño started in the USA, with the first race being the Sebring 12 hour race with a Porsche 935. It was part of the IMSA GT Championship and he raced there during the 80s as well. Another series he took part in was the 1980s Can-Am season. Later he moved to europe to compete in the British Aurora series from which he made connections to get into Formula 1.
Pablo Escobar’s help almost got him in Formula 1
In 1981 Ricardo got the chance to drive for the British Ensign Racing Team. The team was in dire financial troubles and didn’t say no to drug money. It was the 2. round in Brazil on the Jacarepaguá track. But since he lacked the superlicense, his eligibility to race wasn’t clear and he had to show in the track acclimatization test that his times are competitive to even have a chance in official practice. The car which he drove was slow, Ensign finished the season in 11th place but Ricardo proved fast nonetheless with times almost as fast as Villeneuve and Rosberg and faster than Arnoux, Piquet and many others.
During the test, he hit Keke Rosberg and this was marked as the reason he wasn’t granted the superlicense and couldn’t compete. Though the real reason was the source of his money which was found out about and the people who ran F1 didn’t want to be affiliated with criminal cash as it would tarnish the reputation of the sport.
Besides racing Ricardo Londono would earn illegal money as a drug trafficker as well and was later in life shot dead. Tens of millions were confiscated which was earned illegally along with $10 million in vintage cars.
Pablo’s first work car and life on the run
Funnily enough, Pablo Escobar’s main car towards the end of his life was disguised to look like a taxi since it was the most effective way to travel unnoticed. That’s because every time Pablo Escobar’s personal cars were used they became a target for other gang members, police, and the army. He also had a professional driver as a chauffeur to drive him around.
After death, some of Pablo Escobar’s cars were destroyed but a few of them can still be seen in his house museum.
In the picture, there’s a blue Wartburg 311. It’s the first car that Pablo bought for his cartel to be used in their illegal business. The red Chevrolet is made in the 90s and it’s not known if he personally drove it as well but it has bulletproof glass and some other James Bond like gadgets installed.
While Pablo Escobar’s cars were cool, he also had other awesome toys like the 007 jet ski from “They Spy Who Loved Me”.
Pablo Escobar’s cars in Museum
When Pablo died his car collection was burned down. Only a few of them have remained intact, the scraps remaining are displayed in the house museum.
Frequently Asked Questions
What other illegal activities did Pablo Escobar engage in with his cars besides drug smuggling?
Pablo used his cars as getaway vehicles. Often they were disguised to look like ordinary cars or taxis. Other times he used his cars to transport people or used them as traps.
What was the impact of Pablo Escobar’s involvement in car racing on his public image and influence in society?
He was seen as a man who liked to spen his money and be active in communities. Racing was something that the few could afford and it certainly painted an affluent picture of him. The racing was also pretty dangerous, it showed him as a courageous man who is not afraid of anything.
What additional security measures did Pablo Escobar implement in his vehicles to avoid detection by authorities and his enemies?
His cars were often disguised and featured safety mechanisms like bullet-proof body and glass.
