A Porsche which was once owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar during his minor career as a racing driver has gone on the market for $2.2million.
The Colombian criminal surfaced in reports of racing events in Bogota before he became notorious as the murderous cartel boss who amassed an estimated $30billion fortune from cocaine until his death in 1993.
Among his fleet of cars was this Porsche 911 RSR, which was built in West Germany in 1974 and driven at the International Race of Champions before falling into Escobar’s hands.
The car went into storage after his death, but has since been restored and repainted to its original pastel-yellow and dealers boast that it is ‘ready to race or to be added to your collection’.
Luxury wheels: This 1974 Porsche 911 RSR which is going on sale for $2.2million once belonged to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, who amassed an estimated $30billion fortune from his cocaine cartel before his death in 1993
‘Piece of history’: A label on the side of the car shows that it was once driven by Brazilian Formula One driver Emerson Fittipaldi, but its more famous owner was Escobar who also had a minor career as a racing driver
At the wheel: Escobar in a racing car in the early 1980s in Medellin, the city which gave its name to his murderous drug gang
Described by dealers as a ‘piece of history’, the model is one of only 15 which were ever in existence, having been built specially for drivers at the International Race of Champions in 1974.
At that time it was driven by Brazilian F1 driver Emmerson Fittipaldi, but it is believed to have changed hands several more times before ending up in Escobar’s collection.
In addition to the Porsche, Escobar is thought to have owned a vintage Cadillac in homage to Al Capone as well as a fleet of other vehicles from Mercedes, Toyota and Renault among others.
Escobar’s racing career was relatively modest compared to his notoriety as a narco-terrorist but he is once said to have finished second in a tournament called the Copa Renault 4.
There are stories of Escobar involving local police in a plot to sabotage his motor racing rivals by pulling them over on their way to a race.
While early reports of his racing exploits in the 1970s did not mention his criminal background, he had already by this point founded the crime empire that would eventually become the feared Medellin cartel in Colombia.
In the driving seat: A view of the interior of the Porsche, which was made in West Germany in 1974 and has now been restored after being put into storage in the years after Escobar’s death in a police operation in 1993
Restored: A front-on view of the 1974 vehicle which dealers say has been restored to its original pastel-yellow, with each vehicle in the series originally painted in a different colour to take advantage of new colour TVs
Under the hood: The Porsche-made engine of the vehicle once owned by Escobar, who surfaced in press reports of racing events before he became notorious as a cartel boss
The cartel shipped billions of dollars’ worth of cocaine to the United States and Europe and was behind a series of bloody murders, bombings and assassinations ordered by Escobar.
Drugs agents believed the Medellin gang was responsible for 80 per cent of America’s cocaine imports at the height of its powers.
The city of Medellin after which the cartel was named was once dubbed the most dangerous on Earth, with thousands of people killed in violence unleashed by Escobar and his deadly operatives.
The group eventually collapsed after Escobar turned himself in to authorities in 1991, escaped again the following year and was finally killed by security forces in 1993.
Part of a set: In addition to the Porsche, Escobar is thought to have owned a vintage Cadillac in homage to Al Capone as well as a fleet of other vehicles from Mercedes, Toyota and Renault among others
Rear view: The restored car which was once driven in the International Race of Champions and later belonged to a drug lord
Another Escobar property, an apartment building where he once lived in Medellin, was destroyed in 2019 after becoming a destination for tourists on much-maligned ‘narco-tours’.
How the Porsche ended up in Florida is not entirely clear, but it is now being sold by Atlantis Motor Group which boasts that cars from the 1974 series ‘very rarely come up for sale’.
Another in the series, driven by Peter Revson, once belonged to Jerry Seinfeld until he put it on the market along with two other Porsches from his collection at an auction in 2016.
Dealers say the Escobar vehicle ‘has been professionally restored’, adding that it is ‘ready to race or to be added to your collection.’
On sale: The Escobar car, seen on show in a garage alongside other luxury vehicles, is listed on the market for $2.2million
Signed: The signature is not that of Escobar but of Fittipaldi, the Brazilian racing driver for whom the car was originally made
A plaque showing that the car was made in West Germany before finding its way to North America and eventually to Escobar