LONDON.- Strong international bidding resulted in a new world auction record for a Ferrari 330GT 2+2 Coupé when John Lennon’s first car, lot 311, sold for £359,900 (€417,178, US$ 543,750)* at Bonhams auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Chichester, UK, earlier today (Friday 12 July). Offered for sale with its original DUL 4C registration, this motor car is one of only 500 of its type built and had a presale estimate of £180,000 and £220,000. It was auctioned along with a history file documenting its provenance and restoration, which also includes correspondence with Lennon, and attracted interest from as far afield as America , Australia , and China .

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 Lennon had passed his driving test made headlines across the country. Within hours, the road outside the security gates of his Kentwood 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 this right-hand drive Ferrari 330GT 2+2 Coupé finished in Azzuro blue paint, with a blue interior, then priced at £6,500. Motor vehicles were to become a passion for Lennon, no more so than this Ferrari, which he used for the best part of three years – until October 1967 – covering more than 20,000 miles.