Think of John Lennon’s cars and you will probably picture his Rolls-Royce Phantom V with the psychedelic paint job. Or perhaps the Ferrari 330 GT he bought days after passing his test in 1965 – and which sold at auction for £360,000 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2013. But John Lennon and an Austin Princess?
JUL 25th 2016
This is John Lennon's Austin Princess, and it could be yours!
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It doesn’t sound very rock and roll but the vast, hearse-like limos were popular band transport of the day, and the Beatles could often be seen escaping through the car’s vast back door to avoid being mobbed by fans when they arrived at venues in the mid 1960s.
Lennon bought his 1956 Mulliner-bodied Princess in 1971, and GNH 240’s logbook has the late great star’s signature in it to prove it. The car was used by Lennon and Yoko Ono in their 1972 film Imagine, to promote the album of the same name.
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And that pretty much is all you need to know about the forthcoming sale of this Austin Princess at the RM Sotheby’s London auction in Battersea Park on 7 September. A Lennon-owned car with a Lennon-signed logbook and a drive-on part in a Lennon film – collectors of Beatles memorabilia queue here!
As you would expect John Lennon’s Princess is not entirely standard. There’s may be no psychedelic paint job or double bed in the back, but it is fitted with five aircraft seats behind the front bench. They are still there, if a bit tired looking.
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For the past eight years the cars has been on display at the Austin Rock and Roll Car Museum in Texas, to which the car was donated in 2008. There’s no guide price for the Princess, but a portion of the proceeds will go to UNICEF, which was one of Lennon’s favoured charities.
RM Sotheby’s says: “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for any serious collector of Beatles or music industry memorabilia.”
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Another highlight of the London sale for “cars of the stars” fans is sure to be a Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet purchased new in 1966 and in single family ownership ever since. Its celebrity provence? It was James Mason’s car. Estimate here is £150-200,000.
RM Sotheby’s is promising about 70 collector car lots at the special evening sale at Battersea Evolution in the park on 7 September, which is being held in partnership with the Concours of Elegance at Windsor Castle, celebrating the 90th birthday of the Queen.
Images courtesy of RM Sotheby's
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