John Lennon's psychedelic Rolls-Royce

It was bright yellow with a TV, refrigerator, phone and a record player

Chris Wild

c. 1967

John Lennon pretends to be run over by his own Rolls Royce. Credit: Keystone-France/Getty

On June 3 1965, John Lennon drove a Rolls Royce Phantom V, registration number FJB111C. Nineteen feet long, fitted with a limousine body and painted Valentines black, the vehicle cost £6,000. The following year, Lennon had the backseat transformed into a double bed. He also added a TV, a refrigerator, a phone, a record player and blacked-out windows. But Lennon felt it needed that little something extra.At Lennon's request, the car was custom painted a bright yellow by coachbuilders J.P. Fallon. The design was based on a Gypsy caravan, with a zodiac sign inscribed on the roof, and scrolls and flowers in a kaleidoscope effect painted on the sides and the wheels.Despite lavishing such attention — and money – on his Rolls, Lennon was known as a poor driver. He passed his UK driving test in 1965, when he was 25, but seldom actually drove a vehicle, preferring instead to employ one of two chauffeurs, Les Anthony and Bill Corbett. However, Lennon was definitely behind the wheel on July 1, 1967. While on vacation in Scotland, he crashed his car into a ditch (not the Rolls, but a rather more humble Austin Maxi). Yoko Ono, his son Julian and Yoko's daughter, Kyoko were also in the car. Lennon had 17 stitches on his face, while Ono had 14 and Kyoko had four. Julian was treated for shock. His mother, Cynthia, took him back to London the next day. Lennon refused to talk to her when she arrived.After the incident, Lennon gave up driving for good.He had the car imported to America and, in 1977, gave it to the Smithsonian Institute as settlement for a $250,000 tax bill. Displayed for a few months, the car was soon in storage as the Smithsonian could not afford the insurance to keep it on view. In 1985, the Smithsonian auctioned the car at Sotheby's for $2.3 million dollars, making it the most expensive car in history. The owner of Ripley's Believe It or Not purchased the car, and it is currently on display at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Lennon posing in front of his psychedelic Rolls Royce in his property of Weygridge, Surrey. Credit: Keystone-France/Getty Images

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

John's chauffeur and the resprayed car. Credit: Ted West/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The car pulls out of the garage. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images

A crowd gathers to stare at the luridly painted Rolls Royce. Credit: Ted West/Central Press/Getty Images

The Rolls leaves the premises of coachbuilders J P Fallon in Chertsey, Surrey, England, after its psychedelic respray. Credit: Pierre Manevy/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Lennon posing in his house's garage with his son Julian Lennon. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images