It’s hard not to remember what the Beatles were and how much they influenced the lives of people. Their songs touched the lives of many and could be felt to the core by each and everyone regardless of their age. John Lennon and Paul McCartney helped shape the band and played a significant role in its success. Upon reaching incredible heights and literally becoming a global sensation, the Beatles started to become more influential and had a few bucks to spare on luxuries.
Known for extravagant purchases and being outspoken on many occasions, John Lennon was equally as good at creating controversies as he was good at music. That aside, as with every passionate artist, he was an avid fan of exotic sports cars, especially Ferrari.
While everybody from the band splurged enough and more on exotic cars and expensive accessories, it’s John Lennon who in particular went on to buy a Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 in 1965. While it may seem like something any bloke with money could do, there’s an interesting story behind it.
The Ferrari 330 owned by John Lennon was, in fact, his first car, which is a bold move for someone who just got his driver’s license. We’ll be digging over the whereabouts of the car and going over the details of one of the finest from Maranello.
The Backstory
It was the mid-1960s and the Beatles were soaring to new heights every day with albums bringing them solid cash. Whilst they were enjoying their success, young Lennon who turned 25 then, decided to get his driver’s license. Him passing the test on February 15, 1965, brought in enough media coverage that it became national news. The next day John’s house in Surrey flooded with exotic car dealers in hopes that he’d fancy one of them.
Not a lot of those dealers took any interest in the fact that John just had a son, Julian, and was expecting a family-friendly exotic. While the term is a bit of an oxymoron, the Ferrari dealer had a perfect solution, the 330 GT 2+2. John fancied the bright Azzuro blue Ferrari he was presented with and decided to purchase the car for around $10,000 which in today’s money equates to roughly $170,000. Fun fact, just as he got his driver’s license, the Beatles released “Ticket To Ride” which ended up becoming one of their biggest hits.
Ferrari 330 GT: Enzo’s Daily Driver
The Ferrari 330 GT was one of the finest creations ever to leave Maranello. It was conceived in a time when Enzo Ferrari famously said, ‘I sell engines. I throw in the car for free.’ The 4.0-liter V12, which sounds hilarious compared to the current Ferrari V12s, made around 300 hp and had a 4-speed gated shifter. John Lennon owned the Series I Ferrari 330 GT and the Series II came with a slightly upgraded 5-speed gated manual. The noticeable difference between both of them is the headlight design with Series II adopting a rounded pair as opposed to the Series I which resembled that of a Citroen Ami 8.
The 330 had a couple of cool features like electric windows and all-wheel discs which were uncommon for the time. Moreover, the Colombo V12 engine used a triple carburetor and twin-cam setup which was pretty common to sports cars but was fairly unreliable. That wasn’t the case with the Ferrari V12 and was one of the more reliable twin-cam motors at the time.
It was Enzo Ferrari’s daily driver and he preferred the 330 GT 2+2 over the much acclaimed 250 SWB or the GTB. In today's world, any Ferrari with a 2+2 suffix is bound to be significantly cheaper than its counterparts. The 330 GT was more of an underrated Ferrari in many ways and is still not as expensive as other Ferraris from the same era. Furthermore, the Ferrari 330 came at a time when regulations were never really there and designers were given a free hand. It was the prime of automotive design and a time when most of the modern classics were born wherein manufacturers never really bothered with crash structures or anti-lock brakes.
Lennon’s Ferrari Changed Hands
John Lennon’s 330 GT was sold in 1967 and the buyer decided to go with resale red which after a few decades ended up at the Modena Ferrari dealership during the late eighties. Soon after, the owner restored the 330 to its original blue and kept the car until 2013 when Bonham’s decided to put it up for sale. Initially, Lennon’s 330 GT was expected to be sold between $233,000 and $285,000. But, an undisclosed buyer bought John Lennon’s Ferrari 330 for a staggering $543,000! Almost twice the amount auctioneers anticipated but isn’t outrageous considering Ferraris of the same era were fetching millions.
Sources: Wikipedia, Classic Car UK