The Ford Thunderbird that Clash singer Joe Strummer drove while living in California has sold through eBay.

Strummer drove the Thunderbird to the premiere of his film Mystery Train in Santa Fe

The sale ended on August 21, with the winning bid announced at $30,700, sold by the Beverly Hills Car Club.

Strummer (1952-2002) lived in Los Angeles during the 1980s, and bought the car in 1987 before driving it 850 miles to New Mexico for the Santa Fe film festival, where his film Mystery Train premiered.

"This is such a special car to me. I knew Joe Strummer as a boy growing up in London. He was one of a kind, just like this car," remarked Alex Manos, owner of the Beverly Hills Car Club, prior to the auction.

"Joe had an enormous love for American cars and I feel its [sic] serendipitous that this beautiful 1963 Ford Thunderbird is coming to us for sale."

The Thunderbird is an original California double back-plate bullet body style model, which has retained its original blue paintwork and remains in pristine condition thanks to storage in a climate controlled garage.

The sale coincided with what would have been Strummer's 62nd birthday. The market for punk memorabilia has been growing in recent years, and looks set to be the next big thing in music collectibles, with many experts expecting values to rise.

"We are seeing an uptrend in demand from collectors of punk memorabilia. These people are reaching the age where they have more disposable income, just like the Beatles and Elvis collectors before them," Bonhams' Stephanie Connell told Paul Fraser Collectibles.

See our fantastic selection of music memorabilia for sale.