Brazilian football legend, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, popularly known as Pele, passed away at the age of 82 after a long battle with cancer. Apart from his achievements in the world of Soccer, the Brazilian legend owned an array of luxury and iconic cars, which he often received as gifts from car manufacturers.
Often regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, the three-time World Cup winner, despite retiring in 1977, made it to Forbes’ list of the richest retired athletes at number 10, in 2015.
Here, let’s take a quick look at the Brazilian legend’s car collection:
Volkswagen Beetle
Following his maiden World Cup triumph in 1958, 18-year-old Pele was gifted an iconic Beetle by the German manufacturer.
The hatchback, designed to produce just 23.67 bhp, could clock 100 kmph. The Volkswagen Beetle is one of the most-selling cars of all time.
Mercedes 250 W114
Back in the day, a decent saloon car for a global star, the Mercedes 250 W114, which was equipped with a 2.5-litre straight-six engine, produced 126.24 bhp and could clock 180 kmph.
The Mercedes 250 W114 took almost 13 seconds to sprint from 0-100 kmph – which was okay considering the era we’re talking about.
Mercedes 280 SE W108
The former Santos FC player also had a Mercedes 280 SE W108 in his collection, which is often regarded as the predecessor to the Mercedes S Class, one of the company’s technologically advanced range.
This car had a 2.8-litre petrol engine, which churned out 56.8 bhp of power and 240 Nm of peak torque.
Aero Willys 2600
Pele also had an Aero Willys 2600 in his collection, which boasted an inline 6 cylinder petrol engine. It produced 109 bhp of peak power and 190 Nm of peak torque. The sedan made its debut in 1966 and was manufactured by Willys Overland.
While Pele relished driving these iconic cars at the time of his prime, post it, he had to rely on his drivers to do the honour for him. It is said that Pele used to drive a modest Fiat 500, thereby maintaining a low profile.
