Sachin Tendulkar Hits 50: The Man, The Icon, The Cars

Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as a cricketing god, is celebrating his 50th birthday today. The former captain of the Indian cricket team, currently enjoying his retirement days, is an all-rounder in life, with his interests spanning across a variety of segments, including a soft spot for cars - a well known love affair, and even he doesn’t shy away from showing it. So on the occasion of his birthday today, let’s take a look at the Master Blaster’s collection of cars over the years:

Humble Beginnings

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Sachin Tendulkar (@sachintendulkar)

The Maruti 800 – a household name and a car that has been the part of the journey for a lot of Indians in the past two decades, marked the beginning of Sachin’s innings of owning a vehicle. It was the first ever car owned by the Indian cricketer in 1989 and was actually a gift from his father. 

Since he was the brand ambassador of Fiat back in 2002, he received the Palio S10 as a gift. It was a very sought-after hot hatchback that has been given a high pedestal by automotive enthusiasts. Over the years, Tendulkar's collection of cars has only gotten more impressive. He has owned everything from high-end sports cars to luxurious sedans. 

In 2012, BMW India appointed Sachin Tendulkar as their first ever Indian ambassador. As part of this honour, he was gifted a BMW X5 M50d, which was specially imported just for him, making it the only unit in the country. 

The BMW x-Sachin tie up meant that he owned the keys to a lot of Bimmers and some of them included the M6 Gran Coupe, 7 Series, M5, and even an i8. In fact this i8 attached below looks like a uniquely outlandish spec, but we’ll leave the rest of the thoughts up to your imagination. 

Image credit: Darshan Shinde Photography

Deviating from the BMWs, remember the Bollywood film, Ferrari Ki Sawari, that came out in 2012? If you’ve watched and do remember the film, the car used in it was actually Sachin’s own whip once – a 2002, 350 Modena gifted by Michael Schumacher. He sold that car to a businessman from Surat in 2011.

The prancing horse was quickly replaced by the Godzilla – Nissan GT-R. And this wasn’t your  standard run-off-the-mill GT-4, if you will. It was actually the GT-R Egoist iteration; and as the name suggests, the car truly packed some grunt to match the ego-levels. The man even got a body kit on the Nissan to make it uniquely his, but later sold it in 2017.

Image credit: IG

Apart from these cars, Tendulkar’s garage has also seen the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and an Audi Q7 doing the transportation chores. He seems to have recently grown fond of Porsches and was spotted driving around in a 911 Turbo S and Cayenne Turbo S. It's safe to say, similar to his likes in the real world, his taste in cars too is a pretty diverse one.

The cricketer was particularly smitten by the Range Rover Evoque convertible when he drove it around the twisties in Scotland. The admiration levels were so high that he declared it the best car for the task, which was to take in the sights that Scotland had to offer. Don’t believe us? Watch him do it while jamming to some tunes:

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Sachin Tendulkar (@sachintendulkar)

So, alongside being an avid car enthusiast, Sachin is a well wisher of people who take safety very seriously. So serious, in fact, that when two motorcyclists came in the hope of a photo, they were immediately pleaded by the cricketer to wear helmets for their own safety. 

Helmet Dalo!! Road safety should be the highest priority for everyone. Please don't ride without a helmet. pic.twitter.com/xjgXzjKwQj

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 9, 2017

From his first car, the Maruti 800, to his current collection of luxurious cars, Tendulkar's passion has aged like a fine wine. His ardour for cars is second to few, but his commitment to safety makes him a truly legendary icon, one that’s not just limited to the world of sports. A very happy birthday to you, sir!