A 1956 Austin Princess that looks like a vintage hearse will be at Barrett-Jackson Auction House on Jan. 14-22. The car will definitely attract some car collectors since it was formerly owned by John Lennon of "The Beatles." The car was even used in the "Imagine" documentary film.
Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale. This January's Barrett-Jackson event will host a lot of beautiful high-profile cars. There will be celebrity cars including Justin Bieber's Ferrari 458 Italia and Steven Tyler's Venom GT Spyder.
In addition, there will also be over 100 different Chevys in the auction. They will even have a CERV 1 developed by Zora Arkus-Duntov.
One of the main highlights will definitely be the former Beatle's Austin Princess. The limousine was owned by Lennon in 1971 when he wrote his most famous song "Imagine."
1956 Austin Princess. The black hearse-looking limousine was owned by the legendary John Lennon of the British rock band "The Beatles." The car was even featured in the "Imagine" documentary film.
The car will come with the original and signed registration by the rock legend. The car was originally purchased as an Austin hearse in 1971. Lennon eventually had the car customized to fit his peculiar needs. He added two rows of airline seats complete with the ashtrays. Lennon was particularly fond of the car's wide-opening doors which allowed for quicker escape from his fans.
In 1972, the Austin was sold to Bill La Jolla in California. He used the Princess to tour Ireland with his family. In 1987, he consigned the car to RM Sotheby's auction in New York City. The sale occurred just seven years after Lennon's death.
In 2005, the Princess was purchased at Julien's Auction House by Milton Verret. He eventually donated it to the Austin Rock & Roll Car Museum in 2008. There it was exhibited and adored by so many of The Beatles and John Lennon's fans.
The Austin Rock & Roll Car Museum had the car auctioned in 2016. Last year the car was auctioned at RM Sotheby's in London. It was listed between £185,000 - £260,000 and was left unsold.
Considering that it is the most iconic piece of automotive memorabilia for John Lennon, will the Austin Princess sell at Barrett-Jackson this year? One thing's for sure, it is both the most famous and most expensive 1956 Austin Princess in the world.
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