The first car John Lennon owned after making it big with The Beatles is going up for auction in the U.K. Purchased by the musician in 1965, the vehicle will now be auctioned off in England for an estimated $278,000 to $340,000.
Lennon made headlines when the news got out that he had passed his driver's test, and automakers and dealerships throughout the U.K. were quick to come to his aid. Hours after outlets started reporting that he was England's newest driver, the area around his home was packed with top-of-the-line Maseratis, Jaguars, Aston Martins and more. The singer went out to take a look at the luxury cars lining his street and chose a Ferrari 33GT 2+2 Coupe. With a blue paint job and blue interior, the model was worth the equivalent of about $170,000 today, AutoBlog reports.
"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," said Sholto Gilbertson of Bonham's Motor Car Department. "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."
The musician notched more than 200,000 miles over the course of three years in the Ferrari. In the past decades it has changed hands - and color - a few times and has undergone extensive restoration and auto repair to keep it in top shape.