Story & photos by Randy S. Peregrino
WHEN news came out that Sam Verzosa of Frontrow International was bringing Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. to Manila, boxing fans were ecstatic about the idea of the Champ visiting the country for the first time.
But the trip has nothing to do with the sport and we learned that Mayweather Jr. was in a series of relaxation jaunts while engaging into several business endorsement opportunities. Coming from several countries around Asia, our country happened to be the last stop before heading back to Vegas.
Then again, in the mind of every car enthusiast out there, they’d only care more about what kind of vehicles the “Money” would use during his short stint here. We already knew his particular taste when it comes to cars—judging from his collections of luxury and exotic rides. So, it’s only correct to assume the kind of rides he would be needing to go around the Metro and, perhaps, even to whatever summer destination he wishes to go.
Meanwhile, photos of high-valued cars commissioned to chauffeur the undefeated champion and his entourage surfaced from various motoring sites revealing the entire fleet. We were fortunate enough to see these beauties up close at the Tarmac while waiting for the champ’s arrival, which were prepared by Lester “Player” Codog of Foilacar Industries Inc. Leading the pack was the most expensive in the band—the Rolls-Royce Ghost. This quintessence of luxury car is a beast under the hood. Powered by a 6.6-liter V12 twin-turbo engine, which is capable of dishing out 562 horsepower and 780 N-m of maximum torque. Next was the plug-in hybrid sports car BMW i8. This grand tourer, in the meantime, utilizes two powertrains from a 1.5-liter turbocharged mill and a hybrid synchronous motor. Combined output can generate more than 360 horsepower with a massive 570 N-m of maximum torque. It can easily sprint to 100 km/h in just 4.4 seconds. Last and clearly the longest was the Cadillac Escalade limousine edition. Propelling this stretched luxury-hauler is a 6.2-liter EcoTec3 V8 motor producing 420 horsepower and about 620 N-m of maximum torque.
Since Mayweather is known for his affinity for gold and money, the luxury fleet needed more tweaks to match the lavish taste of the retired boxing superstar. So, Codog and his team took the task and gave the fleet that needed touch of “Money”. Being aware of Mayweather’s sense of taste, Codog knew exactly what to do. The Ghost had its hood/nose profiles and trunk top wrapped in gold foil along with the TMT (The Money Team) logo on the flanks. The Escalade’s, meantime, was limited to the same golden logo on its flanks plus the hood. As for the BMW i8, it received the gold wrap on its entire frame, leaving only most of its original dark panels as is with the logo colors contrasted on the flanks and rear bonnet. Looking closely, the job was meticulously and perfectly done. Great job, Foilacar!
The ‘Money’ has landed
AT around 2:02 a.m. of May 8, TMT private jet finally landed and about 30 minutes later, we found ourselves jockeying for position in order to get as close the moment Mayweather stepped out from his private jet. Far from his typical flamboyant aura, we were greeted with a mild-mannered and soft spoken persona. Then everything happened so fast that he wrapped up the interviews and started proceeding to the cars.
Codog accompanied and asked the champ to choose which car he wanted to ride. So what did he pick? It was that one car not included in the fleet. He picked the Player’s personal car—the 2018 Lamborghini Aventador SV (SuperVeloce)—the fiercest among its kind, which happened to be also lined up and nipped by Foilacar in Pearl White shade. Interestingly, while both Mayweather and Codog were inside, we could see clearly how the boxing superstar was preoccupied and busy checking out the super car’s dashboard.
On their way to Solaire Hotel and Casino where the champ and the TMT were billeted, Codog shared bits of his interesting experience driving for Mayweather. “Well, we talked mostly about business, but he really liked the Lambo. He kept on touching everything [inside] like a kid. He would tell me what to do, like step on it, put the suspension up and rev it more. He was very persistent. And yes, I did drive that Lambo like a champ!”
Image credits: Randy S. Peregrino