For many star athletes, their car collection is a major component of their brand. Some sports stars enjoy the thrill of driving sports cars, while others compile luxury vehicles as status symbols.
With Collector Car Appreciation Day coming up Friday, July 14, let's take a look at some of the most impressive car collections owned by athletes.
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton races cars for a living, so it's no surprise that he's also a luxury car aficionado. The 38-year-old Brit is arguably the most decorated driver in Formula One history. He's tied with Michael Schumacher for the most World Drivers' Championship Titles at seven, and Hamilton has sole possession of first place in wins (103), pole positions (103), and podium finishes (195). Hamilton's also in possession of roughly 13 million British pounds' ($16.7 million) worth of collector cars, split between his garages in Monaco and Los Angeles.
Hamilton drives for Mercedes in F1, so it's no surprise that his collection features multiple prominent Mercedes vehicles, including the AMG Project One and AMG SLS Black. He also used to own a special-edition Pagani Zonda designed specially for Hamilton before selling it in 2021 for 10 million euros. Counterintuitively, the environmentally-conscious Hamilton doesn't put his driving ability on display much with his personal car collection.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is a notch above Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to both soccer accolades and collector cars. The former Barcelona star has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award as the world's best player eight times compared to five for Ronaldo, and Messi permanently separated himself from his Portuguese rival by leading Argentina to a World Cup victory in 2022. Messi's car collection is also reportedly worth close to $60 million, which is three times what Ronaldo's checks in at. Messi was even rumored to have outbid Ronaldo for one of the most expensive cars ever — a $36 million Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti — at a 2016 auction. Those claims turned out to be unsubstantiated, but their believability shows just how big a player Messi is in both the soccer and collector car domains.
Floyd Mayweather
Considering he's known as Floyd "Money" Mayweather, it's no surprise that the undefeated boxer has shelled out some serious cash for his car collection. Mayweather's net worth is estimated to be around $450 million, and his car collection is responsible for over $20 million of that total. His entire collection may be over 100 cars, many of which have never left the garage. Six of Mayweather's cars are valued over $2 million, led by the Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita at $4.8 million.
Justin Verlander
As if having three Cy Young Awards, two* World Series rings and Kate Upton as his wife wasn't enough, Justin Verlander also owns an impressive assortment of sports cars. Unlike his championship from that year, there's no asterisk next to Verlander's $500,000 2017 Ford GT. Ford released only 500 of these cars, and Verlander made sure to let the world know he was one of the lucky few to get one by posting a video of his 2017 Ford GT. Verlander's garage fits only eight cars, so the star MLB pitcher has had to cycle some of his $6 million collection out to other locations.
LeBron James
LeBron James' car collection is worth "only" $3 million or so, and almost half of that total comes from his $1.4 million Porsche 918 Spyder. James was seen cruising in the sleek black 918 in 2020, so unlike some of the aforementioned athletes with impressive car collections, LeBron isn't afraid to take his most prized vehicles out on the open road. It wouldn't be surprising to see James' car collection grow in the coming years as he continues to enjoy the twilight of his NBA career in Los Angeles and focuses on further building his brand.
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