Knowledge | Posted by Shwe Zin Win
Lennon bought his first Rolls-Royce, a secondhand two-toned maroon-and-black limo, in July 1964 to shuttle him to London from Kenwood, his newly purchased estate in the rural Surrey village of Weybridge.
But that December he decided to upgrade this comparatively modest car for a coach that matched his fab status, and submitted an order for the most exclusive (read: expensive) Rolls-Royce model.“
Among the Phantom V’s more traditional amenities were the 6.23-litre V8 engine, black leather upholstery, cocktail cabinet with fine wood trim, writing table, reading lamps, a seven-piece his-and-hers black-hide luggage set, and a Perdio portable television. Slightly more novel was the refrigeration system contained in the trunk of the car, perfect for chilling champagne or, more often, cola for Scotch and Cokes.
While everyone knows more about his tunes, the Beatles' frontman had a unique taste in cars (and occasionally motorcycles) which contributed to his overall eccentric character. For example, here are five of the rock legend's raddest rides from his too-brief time that he was with us.
(Austin Maxi , Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
John Lennon’s fabulously successful music career meant he could—and did—buy much more expensive cars than an Austin Maxi, but he had one of these humble, five-door econoboxes presumably for when he felt like keeping a low profile. Pictured above are Lennon and his family packing up the Maxi for a trip in Scotland that unfortunately ended early when the Austin went into a ditch to avoid an accident with a car driving on the wrong side of the road. The Lennon family ended up spending their vacation in a hospital for five days.
Ref: John Lennon’s Phantom V: The Story of the Psychedelic Beatle-Mobile (rollingstone, thedrive)
