John Cena! He’s one of the most badass wrestlers on the planet! He didn’t stop there though, he marched his way all the way to Hollywood and became a reputable actor and he acquired himself a good-sized fortune along the way.
So what did he do with his money? He bought cars… and a lot of them. John Cena is an all-American legend, and most of his cars reflect that, but he’s got some exotics too! So if you want to hear about his diverse collection, you’re in the right place! I’m going to take you inside the walls of John Cena’s badass car collection! You can’t see me!
2nd Generation Ford GT
Okay, let’s start this list off with one of John Cena’s most controversial cars that he’s owned, his 2017 Ford GT. In 2017, half of a century after Ford’s 1-2-3 podium run in the Le Mans, Ford decided it was time for another generation of their GT Supercar. This time it came with a stipulation, however. You had to apply for one.
With a limited number of these new cars, Ford knew that the demand was going to be high, so they decided that they wanted to handpick each of the owners based on their criteria. Ford announced that it would be producing just 1,000 units in a four-year production run before extending it due to demand. And let me tell you, the demand is there!
Ford nearly got six times more applicants than the number of total cars produced. So it was a big deal not only to John Cena but also to Ford when it was announced that Cena had been allocated a new $450,000 GT.
Half of a century of racing pedigree and engineering went into the build of the new Ford GT. From its controversial but powerful EcoBoost V6 to its crafted carbon fiber bodywork, the new GT is one for the history books.
So, it was a bit of a surprise when Cena sold his GT a few weeks into his ownership, especially after signing a legally binding contract that Ford gave all the new GT owners, which said that they couldn’t sell the car for two years. This put Cena in hot water with Ford as he was then promptly sued by Ford. Cena admitted to flipping his GT because he needed the cash to pay bills, but the lawsuit never went to court because a settlement was reached.
But, you tell me, when he purchased the car for $450,000 and sold it weeks later for a whopping $1.54 million, who’s having the last laugh? But that’s not the end of that car. It’s done a total of 635 miles and been through 5 owners in just 2 years!
Most of the original owners of the 2nd generation Ford GT owned at least one other generation of GT, and this rings true for Cena. He also owned a 1st generation GT too.
1st Generation Ford GT
Yeah, that’s right, John Cena not only owned a 2nd generation GT but also a 1st generation one. Back in 2005, this American supercar pushed the boundaries of what people thought American cars could be. Sure, America had the Corvette, but they weren’t mid-engined beasts pumping out supercar-besting numbers, at least not yet. Now, the Ford GT was all that and more, but back in 2005!
As a tribute to the famous 1-2-3 win streak at Le Mans, Ford knew that the new car had to kill Ferraris, and it gave the Ferraris of its day a good run for their money. That is, up until Ford decided to sell them. During the GT’s production run, they were only able to sell about 4,000 cars because people just couldn’t get behind the idea of an American supercar at the time.
While Ford was only able to sell 4,038 GTs, Ferrari was able to sell nearly 15,000 F430s for even more money! Buyers just weren’t sure if an American supercar would be able to live up to its hype. But let me assure you, it did! And John Cena knew that too. Today, F430s are trading hands for around just over $100,000 and the value of these GTs are over $300,000! So, it’s fair to say he made the right choice.
Cena purchased his off the lot in a rare spec, and he opted for three of the four total option packages. The fact that he opted out of the fourth package is actually what makes it so rare. So what was that option package? Stripes! And Cena didn’t go for that option, which was a solid choice because only 99 cars in 2006 were stripeless! The other options were the forged alloy wheels, red brake calipers, and an upgraded sound system. The man knows how to pick himself a spec.
But what happens when you truly want a one-off car? You build something that no one else has. And that’s exactly what John Cena did with a wrecked Corvette, one that he turned into a masterpiece. Meet the Corvette InCENArator.
Corvette InCENArator
Done for the TV show Dream Machines, the InCENArator was based on a Corvette, one that was totally gutted down to its chassis and drivetrain before totally new bodywork was thrown on the car. The custom bodywork was designed and rendered by Park Brothers Concepts, who have designed their fair share of masterpieces. But when John Cena came to them and told them to come up with something that looked like it had just traveled back in time from the year 3000, this is what they came up with.
If you ask me, it looks more like a Hot Wheels than the Corvette that it’s based on. The InCENArator comes with eight exhaust pipes made to shoot fireballs at the touch of a button. And to keep it futuristic, Cena opted for the car not to have any doors, but instead a three-piece windshield dome-door thing.
Once the dome is open, it reveals the interior, which you would think is all pimped-out right? Well, it still retains the factory C5 Corvette interior. The Park Brothers also decided to outfit this car from the future with some gigantic 24-inch wheels that look like a jet turbine! Whether that was due to the budget or other circumstances, the InCENArator was on a tight 30-day turnaround schedule from the Corvette to the concept. The final result is definitely an in-your-face futuristic concept.
Love it or hate it, the InCENArator is a concept made to stand out from the crowd, and it does it with style! This car was even taken on the Gumball 3000 with hundreds of other rare and exotic super and hypercars, and it stood out in the crowd like a sore thumb, drawing a crowd to each destination that it went to.
After all, it was regularly called the worst custom car ever, so of course, people are going to want to see it. And unlike the other cars on the rally, since it has Corvette underpinnings, it’s reliable and it would be relatively easy and cheap to fix if something were to go wrong. But, of course, nothing did. America, baby!
Now the InCENArator is a Corvette at heart, but that’s not Cena’s only Corvette. He’s also had a C6 Corvette ZR1!
C6 Corvette ZR1
The C6 Corvette ZR1 was the first-ever factory Corvette to stray away from its naturally aspirated roots. Even the Z06 of the time was powered by a naturally aspirated LS7 producing 505 horsepower, and this was always slated to be the top-of-the-line Corvette, but more was to come.
The CEO at the time, Rick Wagoner, liked the $60,000 Z06 so much that he wondered what a $100,000 Corvette would look like, and designers and engineers got busy dreaming up anything and everything to make this range-topping Corvette amazing. These designers and engineers codenamed the project the “Blue Devil” and developed it for ultimate speed. The end result was magnificent as it rolled off showroom floors in 2009 as the fastest thing that GM had ever made up to that point!
This was the first-ever Corvette to stray from its naturally aspirated roots by adding a supercharger and tons of fun behind the gas pedal. The new LS9 powerplant produced a whopping 638 horsepower with over 600 foot-pounds of torque, which was capable of pushing it to a top speed of 205 miles per hour! It was absolutely mental!
Cena was lucky enough to get the keys to the 73rd ZR1 produced. And while he liked the power, especially for the price point, he wasn’t actually the biggest fan of it.
This next car of his has similar power, but it costs a whole heck of a lot more than that Corvette. I’m talking about his Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster.
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was essentially one of the most iconic early 2000s supercars, sharing the podium with the more popular Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera G. But out of the three, the SLR McLaren definitely gets the least amount of hype.
At the time, Mercedes owned 40% of McLaren, so the car was actually made in England in a McLaren factory. And, no, it was not made alongside other McLaren models because McLaren had not reestablished itself as an auto manufacturer until 2011 with the MP4-12C, and the factory had been left dormant since the end of the production of the F1 in 1998.
But, traces of both old and new McLarens find their way into the SLR to truly make it one of the most unique cars of its time. The long hood hides a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 with over 600 horsepower and plenty of torque to shred the rear tires at any speed!
John Cena’s car is a black roadster that he says screams Darth Vader. So, if a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster screams Darth Vader, what does a Plymouth Superbird scream?
Plymouth Road Runner Superbird
I couldn’t tell you what it screams, but it is in your face for sure. Built to bypass NASCAR’s strict rules, Plymouth outsmarted NASCAR by creating a car off the showroom floor like no other car sold before. Cars that participated in NASCAR at the time were actual stock cars. Unlike what we have today, the cars had to come off of showroom floors.
So, Plymouth decided that they were going to try and find a way to make their cars faster around the track and make it into a road car. And what they decided to do was to take a factory Roadrunner and make some adjustments. They added a pointed nose, and a wing that went into the stratosphere, it’s massive!
The Plymouth Road Runner Superbird was able to absolutely dominate at NASCAR. It was able to trap over 200 miles per hour on the track, something that had never been done by any NASCAR before. But even crazier than their racing pedigree in NASCAR is that the fact that, if you had the cash, you could go to a dealership and buy one and drive it on the street!
John Cena was lucky enough to come across one, and his is lacquered in a super bright shade of orange. Yeehaw! John Cena sure likes his cars bright, and his Lamborghini Gallardo is no different.
Lamborghini Gallardo
His 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is green, and if you didn’t know that, he calls it his LamborGREENi just so you know what color it is. And it’s not just any shade of green, it’s been done in Verde Scandal, which is a very rare choice specially ordered from Lambo. But it doesn’t stop there. The original owner wanted even more of that color, so he redid the interior and all I can say is that it’s close. Not the same shade, but hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?
John Cena’s petite frame barely fits in his own car, so he’s gotten used to driving it while slouching so that his head fits. Now, why wouldn’t he just go out and buy a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder? Because… LamborGREENi!
Now, why did John Cena eventually sell the car? Probably because he didn’t really fit in it or maybe because it isn’t American and John Cena loves his American muscle. And one of his favorite muscle cars is his 1969 COPO Camaro.
1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro
In 2007, John Cena dished out $175,000 for this beauty. Why so much for an old muscle car you ask? Well, his COPO Camaro had just completed a full frame-off restoration just before he added it to his fleet. John Cena’s car is finished off in the Garnet Red paint color that has been preserved from the moment it rolled off the assembly line.
Not only is it aesthetically perfect, but it’s also a numbers-matching car with its original engine from back in 1968! And it was one of only 7 COPO Camaros to be built in Chevrolet’s Van Nuys plant in Los Angeles. It gets even rarer, as it was one of only a handful of cars to receive a factory-chambered exhaust, which was soon discontinued because the sound levels exceeded noise regulations in almost every state!
Cena has taken his COPO to many car shows and on many drives, but he also keeps it meticulously maintained. So, what is so special about a COPO Camaro? Well, it was the baddest Camaro that you could order at the time. The name COPO comes from the Central Office Production Order, which was the process of ordering fleet vehicles back in 1969. But, at the time, General Motors had a corporate ban against installing engines over 400 cubic inches in anything but full-size cars and Corvettes.
While the SS and Z/28 trims of the Camaro got the 350 V8, some people wanted that glorious 427 out of the Corvette in the Camaro. So Chevrolet was able to find a loophole through the COPO fleet ordering system to fit that 427 cubic inch engine into the Camaro. And, as a result, about 1,000 COPO Camaros were ever produced.
Luckily, more Dodge Vipers were made so he was able to get his hands on one.
2006 Dodge Viper
John Cena has a beautiful 2006 Dodge Viper which, like himself, is powerful, muscular, loud, and a bit obnoxious. But Cena has an undying love for all things American, so the fact that he has Dodge’s flagship model doesn’t surprise us.
But the 500 horsepower probably surprises him. Give that pedal a stomp and you’ll be transported to a new zip code in no time! The Viper is powered by a monstrous 8.3-liter naturally aspirated V10, which is like no other engine. From its low-end grunt to its high-revving scream, the Dodge Viper V10 is one of the coolest engines ever offered in any car.
Just listen to it scream out of its side pipes. Yeah, I said side pipes! While it might not be the most luxurious car, that’s not what it was built for. It was built for putting smiles on the faces of the driver and anybody within two square miles of the car because that’s how many people know that there is a Viper close by!
But this last car on the list is by far his favorite and one that he has said time and time again he will never sell. What is it? It’s a 1989 Jeep Wrangler.
1989 Jeep Wrangler
An old Wrangler? Yeah, he’s proud of his 1989 Jeep Wrangler because it was his first big purchase after signing his WWE contract. His Jeep has a mild lift with wheels and tires and a brush guard, but it’s not a very expensively built Jeep like you’d expect. And sure he’s got enough money to upgrade it, but it’s priceless to John Cena because what it represents means more to him than just about anything.
Just imagine his garage lined with supercars and desirable muscle cars, and then next to those sits an old Jeep Wrangler, one that has been with him through the thick and thin and one that has been faithful, reliable, and dependable. Just how Jeeps are made.
