2019 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, John Lennon's 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL
Every year, just before the Super Bowl and the Phoenix Open, Barrett-Jackson stages a huge auto auction at Westworld in Scottsdale, Arizona. Since it had been a few years since my previous visit, I ventured to Westworld, camera in hand. Launched at the prestigious March 1963 Geneva Auto Show, the new 230SL roadster succeeded both the 300Sl and the 190SL lines, marking a new single-platform policy for Mercedes-Benz sports cars. Internally coded W113 and of monocoque construction, the SL featured chiseled body lines penned by noted and prolific designer Paul Bracq. The new SL went on to become an unqualified postwar icon and, given the instantly iconic styling, upscale cachet and inherent excellence of the 230SL, it is only natural that it would captivate a fast-rising musician/songwriter from Liverpool, who was finally enjoying the fruits of virtually endless writing, touring and recording. That young man was John Winston Lennon, and this is his 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL. A thrilling find for anyone even remotely interested in the British musical invasion of the Swinging '60s and sporting automobiles, this 230SL was the choice of a man who, by the mid-1960s, could choose any automobile he wanted. This baby sold for $187,000.
Size: 8256px × 5504px
Location: Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Photo credit: © B. David Cathell / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1965, 2019, 230sl, arizona, auction, auto, automobile, barrett, bdavid, benz, bowl, car, celebrity, collectables, jackson, john, lennon, memorabilia, mercedes, open, phoenix, scottsdale, super, truck, westworld
