--- title: "Did You Know Shaq Stretched His Lamborghini Gallardo By a Foot So He’d Fit?" description: "Shaq used to have a custom-made extended wheelbase Lamborghini Gallardo made just so he could fit his 7'1\" frame into it." date: "2023-10-15" modified: "2023-10-15" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/did-you-know-shaq-stretched-his-lamborghini-gallardo-by-a-foot-so-hed-fit" categories: - "Lamborghini News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "Lamborghini" - "Supercar" --- # Did You Know Shaq Stretched His Lamborghini Gallardo By a Foot So He’d Fit? ![]() *Photo | “Understandable, Have A Nice Day”/knowyourmeme.com* Sometimes I genuinely feel sorry for some athletes who are so freakishly large that they simply cannot drive exotic sports cars because they don't fit. Then I remember that they make my yearly salary in about 45 minutes and stop feeling so bad for them. Still, it must be frustrating to be able to afford high-priced Italian exotics but not fit in them. Shaquille O'Neal is probably the most famous big man in the world and potentially the richest. So when he wanted a [Lamborghini]() Gallardo back in 2008, but couldn't fit, he had a stretched version built just for him. In his book, *Shaq Uncut: My Story*, he talks about how his extra-long-wheelbase [Gallardo]() came to be and why he ended up selling it. To make his stretched Lambo, Shaq bought two Gallardos, one brand-new one, and another donor car. He then hired the [Gaffoglio]() family from Argentina—famous for their automotive and aerospace metalwork—to cut the two apart and marry them together. The result was a Gallardo that was very clearly longer than normal but didn't look too outrageous. > [View this post on Instagram]() > [A post shared by MoNROe garage 🌵 (@mnro.garage)]() It wasn't cheap, though, costing the Hall of Fame Center over $600,000. "The reason it cost so much was I bought a brand-new Lamborghini and then I bought an old, beat-up Lamborghini, and in order for me to fit into it, they had to chop them both in half and then superglue it together," Shaq said in his book. Was it really necessary for Shaq to have two Gallardo's stitched together for him to fit? Considering he stands at 7'1" and weighs over 300 pounds, yes it absolutely was. When you see the famous meme of him in the Lambo, he still looks cramped, despite its custom-built length. However, during a drive to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, he spun the car at high speed and nearly crashed. Afterward, he was too scared to drive the car again and ended up selling it for $110,000 to Amare Stoudemire. It's unclear where Shaq's extended-wheelbase Lamborghini is now but I really want to drive it, just to see what it feels like to drive such a long Gallardo. Whoever has the car now has an odd piece of both automotive and sports history. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()