The BMW 750iL: the car from the night of the shooting

On September 7, 1996, a black BMW stood at a red light in Las Vegas. Suge Knight was behind the wheel, Tupac Shakur in the passenger seat. A few minutes later shots were fired, and the car went from status symbol to crime scene. Since 2017 it has been for sale in Las Vegas. This page separates what is documented about the BMW from what rests only on a dealer’s claims. The shooting itself is described on The 1996 Las Vegas shooting.

A leased car for Death Row

The car was a black BMW 750iL, model year 1996. As the long-wheelbase version with a V12 engine, the 750iL was then the top model of the E38 7 Series, which BMW built from 1994 to 2001. For a label like Death Row Records, which liked to put its success on display, it was a typical prestige car. According to consistent reports, the car belonged neither to Tupac nor to Suge Knight personally. Death Row had leased it, and behind the wheel that night was the label’s boss, Suge Knight.

No plates on the Boulevard

Around 10:30 p.m. a convoy of about ten cars set off from Knight’s house, heading for his Club 662. The BMW drove up front with the passenger window down. On Las Vegas Boulevard, bicycle officers pulled the car over: the music was too loud and the BMW had no license plates. After a few minutes Suge and Tupac were allowed to drive on without a ticket.

Four hits at the intersection

Around 11:10 p.m. the BMW stopped at a red light at the intersection of East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane. Around 11:15 p.m. a white Cadillac pulled up on its right. From the back seat, the shooters fired at the passenger side, exactly where Tupac was sitting. He was hit four times and still tried to throw himself into the back. A fragment grazed Suge Knight’s head.

On shot-out tires to Harmon Avenue

The Cadillac turned onto Koval Lane and disappeared; police never found the shooters’ car. Suge Knight made a U-turn and drove back toward the Strip even though tires had been shot out. About a mile from the scene, the car came to a stop at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. Bicycle officers surrounded it and the convoy and ordered the men to the ground. Only gradually did it become clear who was sitting wounded inside. Paramedics took Tupac to University Medical Center. What happened there over the next six days is covered on The last week and Injuries and cause of death.

Crime scene and evidence

For investigators the BMW was both a crime scene and a piece of evidence. Bullet holes, fragments and the casings lying on the street were among the few tangible traces. In August 2026 the jurors at the trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis were also shown those casings and photos from that night. More on The trial of Duane Davis.

Auctioned, restored and disputed

What happened to the car after the shooting is hard to document. According to media reports, Las Vegas police impounded the BMW and later released it for auction; since then it is said to have passed through several owners. The auction is often dated to 1997, but there is no solid source for that. No official records have been published, and most reports rely on what the later dealer says.

According to the dealer, the last previous owner had the car fully restored. Carscoops reported that the damaged body panels were replaced and the windshield renewed. According to duPont Registry, the wheels that were on the car on the night of the shooting were put back on. The listing says a small dent in one door is still visible and is probably a bullet strike. Among collectors the restoration was controversial: to some, the replaced doors stripped the car of exactly what made it special.

On the market since 2017

In the fall of 2017 the BMW turned up at Celebrity Cars Las Vegas, a dealer specializing in vehicles with a famous past. The trade site duPont Registry reported the listing on November 2, 2017, at $1.5 million. According to Carscoops, the car also appeared on the TV show Pawn Stars, without a sale. By early 2020 the price had risen to $1.75 million.

In January 2026 the car made headlines again, once more at $1.75 million from the same dealer (news item, Jan 12, 2026). According to the TV station KTNV, the odometer showed around 121,000 miles. What was new were the hurdles for buyers: anyone who wants details has to put down a refundable $20,000 deposit and sign a non-disclosure agreement. No sale has been reported (as of October 2026).

Is it really the car from that night?

No independent verification of its history, for example a check against police records, has ever been published. The dealer has made the vehicle identification number public and points to paperwork that would be handed over at purchase. The 2017, 2020 and 2026 reports passed on this information without checking it themselves. That the car is genuine is therefore plausible, but not independently proven.

Collector’s item or tasteless merchandise?

Each listing sets off the same debate. For some, the BMW is a tangible piece of music and crime history. For others, it is the car in which a 25-year-old was fatally wounded, and an asking price of almost two million dollars turns that fact into merchandise. As far as is known, Tupac’s family has not commented publicly on the sale.

Mix-ups and myths

• It was Tupac’s car. No. According to reports it was leased by Death Row, and Suge Knight was driving.
• It is in original condition with all the bullet holes. No. It has been restored, and damaged parts were replaced.
• The car was shown at the 2026 trial. Courtroom reporters did not say so. Jurors saw photos and casings from the scene.
• Tupac was driving. No. He was in the passenger seat, and that is the side the shots were aimed at.

The fight that preceded the shooting is covered on The MGM Grand fight. Where the BMW stood that night and what the spot looks like today is described on Flamingo Road and Koval Lane.