The car in which legendary rapper Tupac Shakur was shot dead is up for sale for US$1.5 million – complete with one of the four bullet holes.
The black 1996 BMW 7-Series went on sale this week after being fully restored but with most of its original features still as they were on September 7, 1996.
Tupac was shot four times with a Glock pistol as the car sat at traffic lights in Las Vegas, hours after his posse was involved in a fight at the MGM Grand casino.
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The car in which legendary rapper Tupac Shakur was shot dead is up for sale for US$1.5 million – complete with one of the four bullet holes
Tupac was shot four times with a Glock pistol as the car sat at traffic lights in Las Vegas, hours after his posse was involved in a fight at the MGM Grand casino
Celebrity Cars Las Vegas owner Ryan Hamilton said the custom interior was intact despite the outside restoration, including a secret compartment.
‘This is actually just a little open and closed area here that would’ve been the same on this side, but there was a secret culmination of buttons that he programmed,’ he told FOX5 Las Vegas.
‘Where he pushed something you know two or three times, and turned a knob and it would pop open, I’m assuming for some sort of weapon since obviously he needed a little protection.’
However, Mr Hamilton did not reveal where the secret compartment was and it, along with the remaining bullet hole, was not highlighted in any photos.
The black 1996 BMW 7-Series went on sale this week after being fully restored but with most of its original features still as they were on September 7, 1996
The car after it was riddled with four bullets when a white four-door Cadillac pulled up alongside them, rolled down the window, and proceeded to rapidly fire gunshots at Tupac
Celebrity Cars, which is selling the car for US$1.5 million (£1.08 million), said the car was a rare opportunity own a piece of music history.
‘It has been completely restored to the condition it was in before his death and has just received a new coat of paint,’ it said in the car’s advertisement.
‘There is a small indentation where we believe one of the bullet holes was, but it is hard to tell, other than that it is fully restored.
‘The wheels have been replaced with the same wheels that it had at the time of the shooting, it runs great and is in excellent condition.
‘The new owner will be provided with documentation proving ownership and history. The car has had several owners since the shooting but the most recent put it through a full restoration.’
Celebrity Cars Las Vegas owner Ryan Hamilton said the custom interior was intact despite the outside restoration, including a secret gun compartment
The door through which Tupac was shot as he and driver Suge Knight waited at traffic lights in Las Vegas
The car went up for sale through Californian seller Moments in Time in February last year for the same price, but either didn’t find a buyer or was quickly resold.
Mr Hamilton said the car would have cost US$80,000 to $90,000 new and now had about 120,000 miles on it, but still drove well.
The car was repaired and sold at police auction in California, owned by various drivers who didn’t know they were sitting in a music relic.
‘Most people would probably prefer it being in the condition with the bullet holes. At the time though, it was in such bad shape that the wheels wouldn’t even have rolled,’ he said.
BMW made a bulletproof version of the 7-Series which would have saved Tupac’s life, but he instead leased the standard version.
The rapper was killed in a drive-by shooting after he, Suge Knight, and others watched Mike Tyson’s world title contest against Bruce Seldon.
Tupac (right) was killed in a drive-by shooting after he, Suge Knight (left), and others watched Mike Tyson’s world title contest against Bruce Seldon
Celebrity Cars, which is selling the car for US$1.5 million (£1.08 million), said the car was a rare opportunity own a piece of music history
Knight, a co-founder of Death Row Records which produced Tupac’s music, was driving the car which was leased by the label.
Earlier in the evening, a fracas had broken out at the venue when one of Knight’s associates spotted a member of a rival gang who had history with Death Row.
Tupac and Knight were driving down Los Angeles boulevard where they stopped for a red light at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane in front of the Maxim Hotel.
A white four-door Cadillac pulled up alongside them, rolled down the window, and proceeded to rapidly fire gunshots at Tupac.
The car was repaired and sold at police auction in California, owned by various drivers who didn’t know they were sitting in a music relic
Knight, a co-founder of Death Row Records which produced Tupac’s music, was driving the car which was leased by the label (pictured is BMW records showing who the car was leased to)
The car went up for sale through Californian seller Moments in Time in February last year (pictured) for the same price, but either didn’t find a buyer or was quickly resold
He was hit four time, twice in the chest, once in the arm and once in the thigh, with one of the bullets penetrating his right lung. Knight was also hit in the head by shrapnel.
Knight managed to drive the pair a mile from the scene before being pulled over by a police bike patrol who alerted paramedics through their radio.
The pair were rushed to University Medical Center of Southern Nevada and Knight was released the next day while Tupac remained on life support.
Tupac was later put in an induced coma after repeatedly trying to get out of bed.
While in the critical care unit September 13, Shakur died of respiratory failure that led to cardiac arrest after removal of his right lung.
The murder was never solved and Knight repeatedly denied any involvement.