El Chapo’s Car Collection has got some of the coolest and the mightiest armored vehicles unlike any collection.
Contents
Overview
For those who haven’t heard of him, El Chapo probably sprang to international recognition thanks to daring escapes out of high-security prisons in Mexico, the latest of which involved a tunnel stretching almost a full mile from his cell to a nearby construction site. But El Chapo, aka Joaquin Guzman, actually escaped from his first prison sentence in 2001, after which he began his meteoric rise to the top of the world’s narcotic-trafficking trade.
El Chapo may translate to “Shorty,” but the diminutive Guzman nevertheless made big waves almost immediately. By 2009, even Forbes magazine recognized El Chapo as one of the wealthiest and most powerful people on the planet, featuring him on their World’s Billionaires list until 2013, when he was dropped due to difficulties estimating his net worth. With this Worth, Its is not easy to track down Top 10 cars of his collection.
| El Chapo’s Car Collection | Price (USD) |
| Dodge Viper | $37,995 |
| Hummer H2 | $51,993 |
| Jeep Wrangler | $31,975 |
| Fox Body Ford Mustang | $34,885 |
| Armored Dodge Ram HEMI | $41,800 |
| Armored Ford Lobo | $41,699 |
| Armored Jeep Grand Cherokee | $86,000 |
| Armored Jeep Liberty | $24,000 |
| Armored Nissan Frontier | $27,840 |
| Armored Volkswagen Jetta | $27,695 |
10. Dodge Viper
Few cars evoke the raw emotions that a Dodge Viper brings to the forefront of drivers, passengers, and onlookers as it roars and spits down the road. That long hood, those massive vents, and an enormous V10 engine combine with minimal driver’s aids to create one of the most fearsome cars ever made. For a vicious criminal whose way of life demanded that he instill fear into all those around him, El Chapo’s choice to drive a Viper seems straightforward – after all, if he can tame this monstrous Detroit beast, he can certainly tame the ranks that make up his cartel.
9. Hummer H2
Next in the El Chapo’s Car Collection comes the Hummer H2. The H2 was mainly a marketing ploy by GM to parley the military-spec Hummer into a more daily-driveable vehicle that still brought the same ruggedness to the table. The fact that El Chapo had an H2 and not an original Hummer actually seems a bit surprising, given the kind of serious beating that the military version could handle thanks to its purpose-built utilitarianism. But compared to the Chevy pickups and SUVs with which it shared many components, there’s no denying that the Hummer H2 brought a bit of that nasty edge that a ringleader like El Chapo probably felt he needed to display at times.
8. Jeep Wrangler
One of America’s most iconic vehicles, the Jeep Wrangler, is sold in Mexico badged as the Sahara. The pared-down Wrangler is an off-roader, through and through, with a basic functionality that has not changed in more than thirty years of production and four distinct generations. The Wrangler is so quintessentially USA that Enzo Ferrari is quoted as say, “Jeep is America’s only real sports car.” And while a certain Carroll Shelby would probably beg to differ, the fact that El Chapo, who clearly loved his US SUVs, owned one reveals the kingpin’s obsession with the automotive nation that was the source of so much of his wealth.
7. Fox Body Ford Mustang
After the Ford Mustang’s steady decline following its earliest, 1960s-era models, the Fox Body Mustang that debuted in 1979 was a breath of fresh air for the lineup. With style that would come to shape the development of 1980s automotive design, the Fox Body remains a relatively impressive performer for its age and price point. El Chapo was probably in his mid-20s when the Fox Body Mustang hit the market, the perfect age for an up-and-comer to fall in love with the futuristically styled muscle car, though whether he bought his first one back then or ended up finding one once he had plenty of cash lying around is a mystery that may never be revealed.
6. Armored Dodge Ram HEMI
If celebrities like athletes, musicians, and movie stars in the United States need constant security protection, just imagine how paranoid the people in charge of guarding El Chapo must have been every minute of every day. With a nearly continuous war being waged against Mexican governmental authorities, as well as rival cartels, El Chapo faced threats around every corner – making armored vehicles a must. And when choosing something to armor, weight and power come into play, making a Dodge Ram HEMI a perfect choice for rugged durability and plenty of beefy torque to move the added layers of bulletproof materials. El Chapo owned two, possibly to allow for decoy operations.
5. Armored Ford Lobo
The world’s best-selling pickup goes by another name south of the border, where the F-150 is known as the Ford Lobo. Every generation of the F-150 brings rugged versatility, plenty of powertrain options, and cabin configurations for every potential use. El Chapo owned two Lobos, which he had outfitted with armoring systems for uses that Ford may not have originally intended their product to ever see. El Chapo must have liked his F-150s, though, so perhaps it’s a good thing he isn’t free to experience the letdown of the model’s recent, aluminum-construction struggles. The F-150s that authorities got their hands on may have actually ended up being the latest and greatest in that long line of successful pickup trucks.
4. Armored Jeep Grand Cherokee
While armored pickup trucks would seem a logical choice for a man like El Chapo, whose industry revolves around moving goods from place to place as much as it does maintaining a dictatorial grip on his territories, at some point he must have craved for a little more luxury when traveling in safety and security. The result was a group of four armored Jeep Grand Cherokees that authorities seized in 2015, a solid choice of a model that bring the combination of a bit more comfort with all, and maybe more, of the off-road capabilities that heavier armored trucks have to offer.
3. Armored Jeep Liberty
Though Jeep may not be particularly excited about El Chapos penchant for their products, they should at least feel a little bit of pride knowing that someone of his means chose them for the private security of his own person and his family. Besides a Wrangler (or Sahara) and four Grand Cherokees, El Chapo also owned an armored Jeep Liberty – although perhaps the fact that he only had one, rather than many, was one of the sign that Jeep interpreted when choosing whether they should abandon the model altogether in 2012, as it didn’t fit particularly smoothly in among the rest of the brand’s lineup.
2. Armored Nissan Frontier
The mid-sized pickup truck is one of the world’s best-selling classes of vehicles, in the domestic market and possibly even more so in the international market, with models like the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, and Ford Ranger having garnered massive sales figures over the course of their production runs. The often-forgotten but highly successful Nissan Frontier may have grown in stature over the last decade, but its overall capability hasn’t diminished in any way. With perhaps a bit more ability to navigate narrow streets and thick forest, El Chapo’s armored Frontier was probably a solid backup to his other, more massive, armored trucks.
1. Armored Volkswagen Jetta
Possibly the funniest car in El Chapo’s collection is an armored Volkswagen Jetta. Who would take the time to add armor-plating to a car that already can’t drive fast, handle well, or really do any of the things that the rest of El Chapo’s collection all do so well? Perhaps the inconspicuous nature of the Jetta is what led to the decision. With the heat pressuring in from all sides, and big, expensive vehicles standing out like a sore thumb in the Sinaloa region, a Jetta with some subtle modifications may have allowed El Chapo to move around under the radar while still maintaining a sense of safety.