John Lennon's First
"Ticket to Ride" was a blue Ferrari - And you can own it
In February 1965 The Beatles recorded Ticket to Ride – a song
that would become one of their biggest hits, topping both the UK and US singles
charts. By happy coincidence, that same month, the news that John Lennon had passed his driving test
made headlines across the country. Within hours, the road outside the security
gates of his Kenwood
home in Weybridge, Surrey, was jammed with Maseratis, Aston Martins, and
the Jaguar E-type, as luxury car dealerships – hungry for business – spotted an
opportunity to secure a high-profile client.
The singer, by then a father to 22-month-old Julian by his
first wife Cynthia, strolled out to inspect the cars and chose a right-hand
drive Ferrari 330GT 2+2 Coupé finished in Azzuro blue paint, with a blue
interior, priced at £6,500 (equivalent to just over £110,000/$166,371 in
today's money).
Motor vehicles were to
become a passion for Lennon, none more so than this Ferrari, which he used for
the best part of three years – until October 1967 – covering more than 20,000
miles.
By the late 1980s,
this special car was with the famous Modena Ferrari dealership, from where it
was acquired by its current owner. Painted red and separated from its number
plate, it was then lovingly restored to its original specification.
This matching-numbers vehicle is one of only 500 of its type
built and is estimated to realize between £180,000 ($272,000) and £220,000
($332,000) at the auction. It is offered for sale along with an extensive
history file documenting its provenance and restoration, which also includes
correspondence with Lennon.
Sholto Gilbertson, Senior Specialist in the Bonhams Motor Car
Department, said: "It is a wonderful commentary on the early excitement
generated by 'Beatlemania' that John Lennon didn't even have to leave his house
to buy his first car.
"We are delighted
to be offering a car associated with such an icon of contemporary popular
culture at the first of our Goodwood series of auctions in 2013. Already our
Festival of Speed Sale is shaping up to potentially eclipse last year's
record-breaking total."
Joining the John
Lennon Ferrari at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale are a number of
other important motor cars, including the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 in which
five-times Formula 1 World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio won two grands prix on
his way to his second World Drivers' Championship.
Among other cars on
offer are the 1955 Maserati 300S Sports-Racing Spider that finished third in
the 1955 Sebring 12-Hours (estimate £3.5 million - £4.5 million); a 1934 Alfa
Romeo 8C-2300 'Le Mans' Tourer (estimate £1.4 million - £1.8 million); and an
example of the ultimate Ferrari from the 1960s – the 1966 Ferrari 500 Superfast
– that is one of only six right-hand drive models made (estimate £800,000 - £1
million). Only 37 Ferrari 500 Superfasts were built, each to the highest
possible specification, encompassing the ultimate in performance, luxury and
presence and equipped to each client's individual expectations.
The Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed
Sale is known for attracting top prices for Ferraris, with a right-hand
drive Ferrari Classiche-certified 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS Spyder selling for a
world auction record £561,500 last year.
The Goodwood
Festival of Speed is the largest motoring garden party in the world – a
unique summer weekend that brings together an impossibly heady mix of cars,
stars and motor sport ‘royalty’ to create the largest car culture event in the
world. Held in the immaculate grounds of Goodwood House, this annual Hillclimb
event is a true celebration of motor sport and all things automotive.
The 2013 Festival of Speed theme will celebrate the best of
the first 20 years of this, the world’s most popular motor sport and car
culture event. Goodwood will focus on highlights from the Festival’s glittering
history, featuring the biggest, best, fastest, loudest and most outrageous
vehicles of all time.
Goodwood will recapture many of the outstanding Festival of
Speed moments from the 1993-2012 era, whether that’s great cars from around the
world making a rare return to the UK; or famous car/driver pairings reunited,
for a weekend not to be missed.
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