Inside Ringo Starr’s £800k exotic car collection including ‘fastest car of the 60s’ & Mini customised to fit drum kit
Ringo Starr is best known as the drummer for The Beatles but it seems he was a bit of secret petrolhead when not on tour.
Over the years, he has racked up a collection of stunning motors worth over £800,000 , including the “fastest car of the ’60s” and a Mini specially adapted to store his drum kit.
Standard Vanguard
Ringo’s first car was a Standard Vanguard picked up in 1959.
The classic coupe was hand-painted in a black and white colour scheme.
The model was Coventry-based Standard’s first post-war car and was named after the famous warship HMS Vanguard, a process which required extensive negotiation with the Royal Navy.
This purchase actually made Ringo the first Beatle to buy a car, though it was well before he joined the band in 1962.
However, he didn’t have a licence or insurance at the time so wasn’t able to drive it for a few months.
Mercedes 280 E
The music legend picked up a Mercedes sports car at the height of Beatlemania in 1969.
He infamously crashed the motor in 1980, colliding with a lampost in South London while driving with then-girlfriend Barbara Bach.
Urban legend has it that after suffering a leg injury and pulling Barbara from the wreckage, he returned to the crumpled car to retrieve his packet of cigarettes.
The couple later had the vehicle crushed into a cube, which they used as a coffee table at their home.
Merc Man
Apart from the smashed up 280E, Ringo seemed to have a real thing for Mercedes.
Across his career he owned a series of classic models, including a 1960 190 SL, which is worth around £200,000 today.
Other favourites from the German brand included a 450 SEL from 1981 and a 1968 S600.
Perhaps the most special of the lot though is a 1970 Pullman Limo, first bought by bandmate John Lennon.
The car would pass through the hands of all four Beatles before being sold to Motown icon Mary Wilson in 1975 after she spotted it on a visit to George Harrison’s home.
The Pullman went back up for auction in February 2024 and is expected to fetch an eye-watering price.
Facel Vega 2
When he bought the Vega amid The Beatles’ meteoric success in 1964, Ringo joked that he could “afford it but couldn’t spell it”.
The stunning roadster was, at the time, the fastest four-seater car in the world.
Only 182 were ever made between 1962 and 1964.
The model was a favourite among celebs at the time, including Sir Stirling Moss, Pablo Picasso and Frank Sinatra.
Ringo’s exact Vega went up for sale in 2013 for a whopping £350,000.
Why did The Beatles break up?
The Beatles broke fans’ hearts when the band members went their separate ways after a decade on top of the music industry,
One of the first British bands to properly crack America and a cultural phenomenon at home, the Liverpool-based group is undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time.
The quartet, formed of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, called it quits in 1970 amid rumblings of tension within the band.
Lennon’s drug use and relationship with Yoko Ono, the death of manager Brian Epstein and a well-publicised legal dispute over McCartney’s first solo album are all cited as contributing factors to the dissolution of the Beatles.
For a more in-depth look into the story of the split, you can read our explainer on the subject.
Prince of Bel Air
Ringo’s 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air was customised for him by legendary designer George Barris, who famously created the Batmobile used in the ’60s Batman TV series and film.
The convertible featured a flame-pattern bonnet, yellow and black leather interior and the Bel Air’s iconic rear end wings.
Given Barris’ status among custom car enthusiasts, this motor is pretty much priceless.
Minimania
Like all good 1960s icons, it was only to be expected that Ringo should own a classic Mini Cooper.
Indeed, every member of the band would own a Mini at one time or another.
However, his was specially customised so that he could fit his drum kit inside the tiny car.
This turned it into a three-seater to provide some extra space for the percussion in the back.