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An Icon Comes Home
John Lennon's Custom Rolls-Royce Returns to the UK

This year marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. To celebrate, Rolls-Royce is returning John Lennon’s ex-Phantom V to London for display at Bonhams between July 29 and August 2.

The legendary Beatle received the Rolls-Royce Phantom V painted in Valentine Black on June 3, 1965. Just before the release of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” Lennon then asked JP Fallon to paint the car in psychedelic style on a yellow background. Lennon had already added some extra features to the car, including a TV set, a record player, a radio phone, a rear seat fridge. Not finished, he then converted the rear seat to a double bed, making the Rolls-Royce a one-of-a-kind vehicle that fulfilled all the Lennon’s needs.

Lennon later took along the custom Rolls-Royce when he moved to the US in 1970. The car was borrowed by various music acts during that time, including the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. In 1977, Lennon donated the car to the Cooper Hewitt Museum of Design in lieu of unpaid taxes.

Following Lennon’s death in December 1980, the car was later sold at auction to Canadian entrepreneur Jimmy Pattison for $2.3 million in 1985, who eventually donated the car to the Royal B.C. Museum.

Now, the vehicle will finally return to its original home later this month for The Great Eight Phantoms exhibition, which will run from 29 July to 2 August at Bonham’s 101 New Bond Street headquarters. More information about the exhibition can be found here.