Paul McCartney's Aston sells for $1.8M; Ringo Starr's old Mini goes to a Spice Girl

6 years, 4 months ago - 8 December 2017, Autoblog
Paul McCartney's Aston sells for $1.8M; Ringo Starr's old Mini goes to a Spice Girl
The Bonhams Bond Street auction in London was the place to be for fans of both The Beatles and automobiles as two cars once owned by former members of the band were up for auction.

The first was an Aston Martin DB5 owned by Paul McCartney, and the second was a Mini Cooper owned by Ringo Starr. Both went for substantial sums, and the Mini went to an interesting owner.

The Aston brought the big bucks, or pounds, since it was a British auction. The final price with premium was barely over $1.8 million, which fell smack in the middle of Bonham's estimate. It's an impressive price on its own, but more so when compared with its sale back in 2012. Back then it was painted in the same blue it had originally, and it only sold for $495,000, making this new sale more than three times higher.

The Mini went for much less, at just under $137,000 with premium. But the car went to an interesting owner, Geri Horner, nee Hollowell, whom you may know better as Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls. The Mini itself is interesting, too. Each of The Beatles owned a classic Mini at some point, but Ringo Starr's was unique because the flip-down tailgate was converted to a modern-style lift-up hatch incorporating the rear window. Reportedly the reason was so Starr could easily fit his drum kit in the back. It also featured a custom grille, driving lights, hood vents, and soft sunroof among other things. It even appeared on "Top Gear" in 2001. And before we forget, McCartney's DB5 also has "Top Gear" history in that it was owned by former host, Chris Evans.