Facel Vega II formerly owned by Ringo Starr goes to auction
Earlier this year we featured the sale of John Lennon’s first car and now the same auction house, Bonhams, are selling a car belonging to his band mate Ringo Starr MBE.
One of only two Facel Vega II’s produced with a 6.7-litre V8 engine and a manual gearbox, Starr purchased the 1964 car directly from the company’s stand at the Earls Court Motor Show. The vehicle is the very last of the 26 right-hand drive Facel II’s that were produced and came with a price tag of £5,570.
Starr owned the car for four years and of why he eventually sold it, he told the Evening Standard in 1968:
“I like the security of marriage and the family. In fact, I’m thinking of selling my Facel Vega and getting an ordinary family saloon, something like a Mercedes”.
Once “the fastest four seater coupé in the world”, Starr’s car – registration EPH 4B, chassis HK2 B160 – was restored by Orchard View Classics and benefits from a full bare metal respray. It was last sold in 2012 and according to Bonhams is “insured for £500,000”. The car will be auctioned at Bonhams in New Bond Street on Sunday 1st December and a guide of £300,000 to £350,000 has been set.
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One of these didn’t sell at RM Auctions for £170,000 in 2011 so why is this worth £350,000? Seems expensive.
Prefer the RR Matthew showed…the Facel Vega looks rather ordinary in comparison