Pablo Escobar wasn’t just one of the most ruthless cocaine kingpins the world has ever seen, he was also a bonafide speed freak, something his money helped encourage. Pablo had long raced in Colombia’s Copa Renault 4 alongside his cousin Gustavo Gaviria (who is said to be the better driver) before his exploits as a drug lord were publicized nation wide. Given the course he had taken, the KingPin had built an impressive car collection. While much of it was dispersed or destroyed after Escobar’s death in 1993, delving a little deeper led to the discovery that Escobar was not only a car collector, but also someone who once actively participated in motorsport.

In the 1970’s Escobar participated in Colombia’s Copa Renault 4, and just after 6 races, he was ranked 2nd on the championship leaderboard. It might not have been sheer will and enthusiasm that got him there, but none the less he was living the likes of a champion. While all Renault R4’s taking part in the championship were supposed to be equal in built specifications, some R4’s were a little more fiddled with than the rest. Sadly, Escobar lost positions due to a slower pace through the turns were handily recouped on the straights, where his Renault was visibly fastest. Nothing was ever proved of course, because back in the day, who would have the guts to say anything?!

Legend has it Escobar once bet Ricardo “Cuchilla” Londoño, one of Colombia’s most famous racing drivers, that he could finish within 15 seconds of him at a Medellin Hillclimb. The conclusion was that, Escobar would go on to finish eight seconds behind his compatriot “fair and square,” an achievement he was said to be quite proud of. Pablito and Cuchilla were close, born the same year, the pair crossed paths on the Colombian national circuit before Escobar and the Medellin Cartel funded the talented Londoño’s rise through international motorsports–proving an excellent way for the cartel to launder money– eventually even attempting to get Cuchilla onto the Formula 1 grid. Escobar’s money secured Cuchilla a drive for Ensign in the 1981 Brazilian GP, his times were blistering in practice, clocking times inside the top 5 behind the wheel of a horrendously uncompetitive car. However, when it was discovered where his backing money came from Bernie Eccelstone quickly denied him a Superlicence, attempting to protect the sports prestige.

The Renault 4 was originally powered by a 24 horsepower engine and its suspension was never intended for racing no matter how much tuning it was subjected to. It would not be long before Escobar’s sights moved on to more powerful machines. He would later field a 1974 Porsche 911 RSR—the same car originally raced in the United States by Emmerson Fittipaldi in the ‘74 IROC series, as well as for a few years in the hands of different drivers in IMSA competition following that—which under the kingpin’s ownership was transformed into the Martini-liveried 935/slantnose-look that was so popular during the era. The car is one of the most rare 911 RSRs in existence, Porsche only built 15 cars for the 4-race IROC series in 1973, and for a time, Pablo’s was the only one unaccounted for. That car would be raced in various events around South America before Escobar’s day job caught up with him and made such activities impossible to continue with. We all know that racing is one of the most expensive sports to participate in, but funds were not an issue for Escobar, and maybe a little skill too. We cannot judge the horrific life of the world’s most infamous narco, but at least some of his money went toward motorsport, who knows maybe some kid would never have had the opportunity to see a faux 935 tearing up a hillclimb. otherwise.

Pictures via Daniel Palacio who dug up old newspapers of Escobar’s racing history.