Although he did not boast much of it, Kobe Bryant – as a good sports star – was passionate about cars. One of the tests is his custom 1963 Chevrolet Impala convertible, a gift from his wife Vanessa Bryant.
The Lakers star, tragically killed in a helicopter crash just a year ago, received the Impala with a Christmas present from his wife in 2006 and has now gone up for auction at Goldin Auctions, with just 25,000 miles.
It was Vanessa herself who contributed to its customization together with the experts at West Coast Customs, the workshop in charge of the creations of the MTV program ‘Pimp my ride’ that were the ones that turned the original model into the lowrider
Externally, the Kobe Impala was deeply renewed, both in glass and trim. The 13 wheels hide a disc braking system and, of course, the suspensions have been modified to adopt the hydraulic system that allows it to roll in that particular way.
Inside, completely renovated, it sports a white leather upholstery dotted with Swarovsky crystals and blue piping and, of course, a brutal sound system was installed in the trunk so that not only the music of its V8 engine plays.
A new odometer and a height-adjustable steering wheel were also installed (surely indispensable so that Kobe who measured 1.98) could be accommodated inside). The car, which was part of the Black Mamba garage until 2013, has a starting price of $ 100,000 but is expected to more than double.
