Car thieves are getting creative these days. In a recent case of creative crime, hackers and criminals gained access to details surrounding a shipment of a custom, $300,000 Range Rover. As a result, they stole the SUV in a “highly coordinated criminal act,” leaving the vehicle’s recipient, none other than the towering Shaquille O’Neal, without his custom SUV. It’s bad news for Shaq, who can’t seem to fit in normal cars.
When it comes to custom vehicles, business and sports legend Shaq can’t quite catch a break
Shaq wanted a Range Rover. So what did he do? He talked to California-based Effortless Motors in the hopes of buying a Range Rover to fit his significant frame. But he hit an issue: a team of thieves managed to steal the custom luxury SUV while it was in transit in Georgia.
Effortless Motors is putting up a $10,000 reward for the recovery of the British luxury vehicle. “Upon the vehicle’s scheduled delivery, it was discovered that the company’s internal systems had been compromised and hijacked, resulting in the car being unlawfully taken during transit,” a company spokesperson told TMZ Sports. “We take the security and trust of our clients very seriously.”
“Preliminary information suggests that an unauthorized individual or company may have taken possession of the vehicle under false pretenses,” a spokesperson with the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities believe that a bad actor impersonated a shipping company to gain access to the SUV. Using that access, they then stole the rig.
“Further inquiries revealed that a tow truck registered to Griffin Wrecker Service LLC, bearing Georgia tag YIW241, was involved in transporting the vehicle to an address in Atlanta,” the Sheriff’s Office added. “The person believed to have coordinated the tow has not yet been fully identified.”
A history of bad luck for the big guy
Now, the basketball legend and businessman has a history with automotive misfortune. At a skyscraper-esque 7’1, the former Los Angeles Lakers star is a bit too big for some things. Cars included.
But that didn’t stop the mountainous man from indulging in his car fandom. He’s purchased Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and even a Lucid Air in pursuit of his automotive tastes. But there’s a problem: he simply won’t fit into some of these cars.
Decades ago, Shaq purchased two separate Ferraris to solve this issue. One was a clean-titled Ferrari F355. The other was an F355 with a salvage title. He then commissioned a custom surgery using parts from the salvage-title Ferrari to stretch out the clean one.
Unfortunately, the augmentation left the Ferrari permanently topless. While a Florida-based supercar might not sound all that susceptible to inclement weather, a rainstorm wreaked havoc on Shaq’s stretched, open-top Ferrari. See? Can’t catch a break.
