Sir Paul McCartney's Aston Martin DB5 has sold as part of a London auction which took place yesterday (October 31).
 McCartney's car was expected to achieve stronger results |
The stunning 1964 model, which is finished in Sierra Blue, sold just above its £300,000 low estimate at £307,500 ($496,727). With the market for classic cars going from strength to strength in 2012, and the enduring appeal of the Beatles, we would have expected McCartney's Aston Martin to sell with much stronger results.
The DB5 was originally purchased at the height of the Beatles' fame, as they were about to embark on their first world tour. Sir Paul ordered the car from new, selecting several of the top features offered by Aston Martin, including custom leather seats with a pattern of musical notes embroidered into them, an unusual Philips Auto-Mignon record player and a Motorola radio.
Unfortunately, most of these features were replaced during a complete "concours-level" restoration by the current owner.
The former Beatle has also owned an Aston Martin DB6, which was the subject of much publicity and media coverage at the time. The DB5 is a lesser known part of McCartney's illustrious fleet and is the first Aston Martin he ever owned.
However, the car is not the first Beatles vehicle to appear at auction: in 2011, George Harrison's own DB5 sold for £350,000 ($561,221) to a Texan buyer, achieving at 75% increase on its £200,000 high estimate. John Lennon's famous psychedelic Rolls Royce Phantom V achieved extraordinary results in 1985, selling for $2.3m and triggering the market for celebrity-owned cars.
We will be bringing you more results from this sale shortly, so be sure to check back soon. In the meantime, view our outstanding collection of Beatles memorabilia or our fantastic Formula One signed items.
