I’ll admit that, as a kid, I originally thought George Foreman was just a guy who sold grills on TV. His infomercials were near-constant and I wasn’t exactly well-versed in the world of heavyweight boxing when I was eight. So he was just the indoor grill guy to me. Now, more than 20 years later, I’ve learned of yet another side of George Foreman: he’s also a massive car enthusiast and collector and his 50-plus car collection is being auctioned off by Hagerty.
Of all the celebrity car collections I’ve seen, this is one of my favorites because you can tell Foreman actually likes cars. There are just so many oddball vehicles in his collection that you know he didn’t buy them for status and prestige, he bought them because he liked them.
There are some iconic, investor-favorite cars in the collection, of course, such as the 1987 white Ferrari Testarossa, the 2005 Ford GT, and the split-window C2 Corvette Stingray. There are also some high-brow classics in there, including a few pre-war American classics, like the 1931 Ford Model A Cabriolet.
However, there are also some truly bizarre cars that people only buy because they like how they drive. For instance, Foreman owns a 2003 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works, a car that isn’t sexy or flashy but one that you can find for cheap on the used market. You don’t buy a JCW to be seen in, you buy it because it’s an absolute blast to drive. Foreman’s also has an American flag on the roof, instead of the typical Union Jack, which is awesome. What about the Plymouth Prowler that has a cheetah-print/flame livery and looks ready to cruise Flavortown? Incredible. I also sincerely hope some of his ’93 Dodge Viper’s 1,600 miles were put on recently because I just want to picture the 74-year-old Foreman ripping around in an O.G. Viper.
A few of Foreman’s cars stand out to me more than the others, though, because they’re just so delightfully random. One of which is the 1995 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe, because it’s green with gold wheels, and a cream-colored Landau roof. Not only is it a killer color spec but it’s such a unique luxury car, with its transverse “Northstar” V8 and front-wheel drive layout. It also has 9,100 miles on it, one of the most driven cars in Foreman’s collection.
I also love the ’02 Ferrari 360 Spider with a six-speed manual because there can’t be many things more enjoyable in life than driving a convertible, V8-powered Ferrari with three pedals and a stick. It also wears the cliche but correct color combo of red with tan interior.
But I think my favorite car in his collection is the 1992 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible, mostly because my grandma owned a ’90 Cutlass Supreme sedan with the same white and red color scheme up until about 2010 and I love the idea of George Foreman and my grandma driving similar cars. He also put 9,900 miles on his, which is more than the aforementioned Cadillac, Ferrari, and even his Mercedes CL 500. Only a few of his cars have more mileage, like his ’92 R129 Mercedes 500 SL and Bentley Azure.
Most of Foreman’s cars he bought new, making them one-owner cars with an incredibly famous single owner. They aren’t all perfect, either, and both Foreman and Hagerty are upfront about the flaws and issues with some of them. The overall quality of the collection is incredible, though, and there are some genuinely cool cars to comb through. Are there better ways to spend a Saturday afternoon?
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