Sachin Tendulkar's penchant for hitting the ball on the field is well known, but the Master Blaster is equally well known for his love for cars. He has been a race car aficionado since his childhood and is well known on the F1 circuit and even flagged off the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in October 2011. Unsurprisingly, his garage is filled with the best cars offered by luxury and sports car makers, from Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari to Porsche and BMW.
The Little Master's love for cars began with his first tryst with a drive-in theatre located near his home, where he could see cars of all makes and sizes. He recollects, “I kind of liked that setting because it was the only place where one could watch the movie without leaving your car.”
Soon after conquering the international cricketing arena, Sachin Tendulkar had bought a car of his own. Regarding his first set of wheels, he says, “My first car was a Maruti 800 - the old-shape one.” He quips, “Of course, I don’t have it now.” He has also been awarded many cars as the 'Man of the Match' for his stellar on-field performances.
The self-confessed car enthusiast says that he finds the 'zippyness' of a car to be its USP. No wonder then that he is the owner of many powerhorses, such as a Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG, E63 AMG and 600SL AMG, all manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. Apart from these, an opulent BMW 7 Series also adorns his garage.
He has been largely associated with the Prancing Horse, the emblem of Ferrari. In 2002, FIAT awarded a Ferrari 360 Modena to Sachin when he equalled Don Bradman's record of 29 centuries in Test cricket. F1 racing legend Michael Schumacher himself handed over the keys of the car to Sachin. Of course, the batting champion has set the bar higher in that regard in the past 9 years and also moved on from the Modena, which he sold to a Surat-based builder in June 2011. Sachin has confessed that “I’d love to drive the 360 Modena with that Formula 1-style gearbox.”
Sachin is also a proud owner of a Palio, a hatchback offered by Fiat. The Italian car manufacturer had also launched a limited edition version of the car, called Palio S10, which was adorned with Sachin's signature. While the 'S' is the first initial of Master's name, '10' is the number on his jersey when he plays for India, signifying his association with the car. Regarding Palio, the Master has said, “The Palio is a fantastic package. It’s got power, it’s robust, it’s got character. It is one of the best offerings from the Italian marque.”
After selling his Ferrari Modena, Sachin Tendulkar bought a shiny new Nissan GT-R in July 2011 at a hefty price tag of Rs. 2.5 crores. However, the batting champion was able to get the registration number that was previously used on his Ferrari, MH 02 AD 9999. Soon afterwards, in August 2011, he was associated with i1 Super Series, an Asian car racing event. It was rumoured that he, along with his Team India teammate Yuvraj Singh, were approached to buy teams in the event, though nothing materialised.
Talking about the future of his cars, he says that there are no concrete plans of buying a F1 car, though it remains his dream. Considering his love for speed, it will be no surprise if he is seen in one of those some time in the future.
