A 1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Coupe, the first car that John Lennon bought on passing his driving test in 1965, is to be sold at Bonhams and Butterfields’ Paris sale of cars at the Grand Palais on Feb. 5. The pre-sale estimate is €120,000 – 170,000 (roughly $155,619-$220,488 U.S. dollars, according to current exchange rates).
In his biography "John Lennon – A Life," author Philip Norman writes, 'In February 1965, John passed his driving test, an event that made headline news across the nation. Within hours, every luxury car dealership in the Weybridge area, hoping for business, jammed the road outside Kenwood's security gates with Maseratis, Aston Martins, and Jaguar XK-E. John strolled out to inspect this gleaming smorgasbord, eventually selecting a £2,000 light blue Ferrari.'"
A car better known to be associated with Lennon was his Rolls-Royce Phantom V limousine, which he had delivered two months later and subsequently had painted in psychedelic colors. He also owned a Mini at the time. In the book, "John Lennon Imagined: Cultural History of a Rock Star," author Janne Mäkelä says that cars were a Mini ‘for pottering about in’, a Rolls-Royce 'for relaxing' and a Ferrari 'for zoom'.
On November 12 of that year, The Autocar Magazine recorded Brydon Cars as offering for sale a "Ferrari 330 GT fixed head coupe. 2+2 opalescent silver blue, electric windows, 3,000 miles. Ex-property of John Lennon MBE." Its whereabout in subsequent years is unknown, but by the late 1980s, it was in the possession of Modena Engineering, from whom the current seller bought it. In the mid 1990s, it underwent a comprehensive restoration to its original specifications.
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