The Lucid Air is many things, but it was never a coupe. Not at least, until NBA great Shaquille O’Neal got his hands on one. That one-off two-door has now popped up in a Copart listing with heavy front end damage, waiting to go up for auction.
At seven feet, one inch tall, Shaq doesn’t fit into cars the same way we do. He previously had cars ranging from a Lamborghini Gallardo to a Corvette Z06 lengthened to accommodate his sizable stature. This Lucid was already long enough, so he took a different approach, having West Coast Customs of “Pimp My Ride” fame move the B-pillar back and eliminate the back doors, turning the slick sedan into a custom coupe.
Beyond that, the Air gained large aftermarket wheels with floating center caps featuring the Superman logo. The car was painted the same shade of red as his Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and the front Lucid logo was replaced with the word “Diesel.” It may seem a highly inappropriate choice for an electric car, but Diesel is Shaq’s DJ stage name. Besides, if the man’s paying good money to customize his car, he can put any logo he wants on it.
The car looked great when it was done, as seen in several Instagram posts. It makes me yearn for the days when more models came in sedan and coupe forms. Shaq’s custom ride looks like it could’ve come straight out of Lucid’s factory.
A short hard life
The car looks a bit different as it sits in a Copart lot in San Bernardino, California. It has significant front end damage, with the bumper removed and exposing the cooling modules, one of which looks like it’s just hanging there. The “Diesel” logo is gone, as are the Superman center caps, and the hood is badly wrinkled. Copart’s photos show that although the battery is critically low, the car does turn on, with the odometer showing 2,898 miles. The airbags have not deployed, indicating an expensive but low-speed crash. The big question is whether the battery was damaged, which can itself total an EV with less obvious body damage than this.
It does not appear that Shaq crashed the car himself. EV reports that a California dealer had listed the car for $58,000 with around 1,600 miles. That’s not a lot, considering the original purchase price of $77,400 (it’s the entry-level Pure), plus the cost of the coupe conversion. Whoever bought it could have easily turned it into a garage queen or museum piece, given its custom nature and a famous previous owner. Instead, they must have chosen to enjoy driving it to its current mileage — a strategy I can respect.
Shaq’s two-door Lucid has not been scheduled for auction yet. Copart’s estimated retail value is $59,990, which is more than it sold for before it was crashed. It wouldn’t be cheap or easy to repair, but Copart’s photos show no damage beyond the A-pillars, where the custom work may remain intact. It would be interesting if standard Lucid parts could fix it and put it back on the road. If this isn’t a job for Rich Rebuilds, I don’t know what is.
