They're worldwide icons, they're all over TV, they cash eight-figure checks ... what, you think pro athletes are going to drive pre-owned vehicles?
Forbes has compiled its latest list of athletes' automobiles, and as you'd imagine, there's nary a sensible sedan in the bunch. Matter of fact, several drive rides so exclusive the rest of us couldn't get them even if we had the cash.
A car speaks volumes about its owner, and athletes' vehicles are no exception. Take, for instance, Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots and companion to many a supermodel. He rolls in Audis -- the $51,400 Audi S5 and the far more exclusive $114,200 R8. LeBron James, on the other hand, has his very own customized Ferrari F430 Spider -- perfect for those long, lonely drives wondering what went wrong in the Eastern Conference finals.
Other notables mentioned in the Forbes survey: soccer's Christiano Ronaldo drives a Bentley Continental GT Speed, while golfer Greg Norman squires wife Chris Evert around in a Land Rover Range Rover Sport edition that's so limited, they're offered by invitation only. The Atlanta Braves' Kenshin Kawakami goes low-profile, switching between a Maserati Grand Turismo S and a Lamborghini Murcielago. And while Michelle Wie may still be looking for her first win on the LPGA tour, she can at least slam the trunks of some sweet cars -- a black-on-black BMW X5 and a white Mercedes-Benz GL550 -- at the end of a bad day on the links. (Click here to check out a slideshow of the athletes' rides.)
For athletes, the car is the most visceral element of the public image. Sure, they'll push candy bars and underwear on you, but if they've got the option, there's no way they're driving what you're driving. (Chipper Jones and his standard-issue Ford F-150 excepted.) And chances are, unless they're washed-up ballplayers looking to get you down to the car lot Kenny Powers-style, they're not going to be pushing their cars on you, either.
Envious? Don't be. After all, they still have to sit in traffic just like the rest of us. That athletes-only superhighway hasn't been built ... yet.
Cars of the sports stars [Forbes.com via Yahoo! Sports]
Athletes' cars: a Forbes.com slideshow
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