Blood Money: What Will Happen to Bashar al-Assad's Car Collection?

by Chris Teague

Published: December 11th, 2024

blood money what will happen to bashar al assad s car collection

Syrian rebels have finally pushed Bashar al-Assad out of power in a surprise move that happened much faster than many expected. In his haste to escape the country, the dictator left behind the trappings of the luxurious life he built on plundered wealth, including a multi-million-dollar car collection. However, with the country in an extreme state of upheaval and no clear societal structure, the future of those cars is very uncertain.

Almost immediately after the news broke that Assad had fled, videos of his expansive car collection began surfacing. Among the vehicles seen were a Ferrari F50, a Lamborghini LM002, a few BMWs, and a ton of other interesting stuff, including an oddball Ford F-350-based motorhome.

We’ve seen massive dictator-held car collections in the Middle East before, and some enterprising automotive enthusiasts have been able to track down rare and desirable models, but a power vacuum and millions of oppressed citizens mean that preserving valuable cars is likely not at the top of anyone’s list.

That said, the rebel-led interim government could auction some of Assad’s possessions to generate revenue for what will almost certainly be an extremely tough period of transition. What do you think will happen to Assad’s collection? Would you import one, given the chance? It could make for a really interesting story, but you probably shouldn’t expect a vehicle history report with your purchase.

[Images: Hanohiki, Harold Escalona via Shutterstock]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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3-On-The-Tree on Dec 12, 2024
I spent a lot of time in the Middle East as a soldier. From Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Afghanistan. That region will always have turmoil and war. We can't force our western way of life and culture on that region it doesn't work. For context I was a Trainer and advisor to the Iraqi National Police force in Mosul Iraq and we gave the Iraqis office buildings that we had built. They went in and stripped all the copper wire from the walls and sold everything that wasn't secured to the floor. My time in Qatar and Kuwait was different because those countries had a more stable government and were more modern. But Countries like Iraq and Syria are not worth any American lives and money. But that's from my experience as our Unit lost 27 U.S. soldiers in one year there.

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- 28-Cars-Later on Dec 12, 2024
  That whole venture was such a mistake. Even despite all of the lies parroted to get us in there to play Gulf War II, the centuries old tribal BS is always going to get in the way so either you deport/wipe some of those tribes out or you install Saddam Jr. and hope he doesn't go off script again. Trillions of dollars and thousands of lives for... what again? Oh, nothing; just like Ukraine! I'm sensing a pattern here...
  
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- Lloyd Bonified on Dec 12, 2024
  We turned a FOB over to the Afghan Army. They stated the Dining Facility was useless. They had no way to keep all the equipment running and would just cook soup over a fire. our cultures were so far apart the distance was best measured in Astronamical Units.
  
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- Lloyd Bonified on Dec 12, 2024
  Wait @28...If Ukraine falls, so goes eastern Europe. Dominoes or something. I feel like maybe I've heard that before. Ah well.
  
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Macmcmacmac on Dec 13, 2024
The Israelis will steal them all obviously.

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