Distribute the oil, the gasoline; They ride in mean, mean machines. We’re talking about the Rolling Stones, of course. Founded in London in 1962, the Stones mixed English rock and American blues, wrote “Brown Sugar”, “Gimme Shelter” and “Sympathy For The Devil”, outlived all of their contemporaries, sold more than 240 million albums and toured the world 48 times and played live in front of more than 50m people.
So you can afford a well-stocked garage. Let’s shed some light on their typically eccentric auto history.
Charlie Watts – Lagonda Rapide (1937)
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It goes without saying that the oldest car on this list should belong to the Stones’ 79-year-old drummer Charlie Watts, a man who was born old. In fact, Charlie never saw the point in a driver’s license, so he never drove this car. He just keeps it in the garage and uses his imagination. “You can ‘Start Me Up’,” he may murmur, “but I’ll just sit here and admire the fine pre-war craftsmanship.” In 1983 he bought the Lagonda with a V12 engine, one of only 25 produced. It was a purchase that had been in the planning for a long time since art school in 1960. “I don’t particularly want to drive,” he is reported to have said at the time, “but if I were a millionaire, I would buy classic cars just to look at them because they are beautiful.” He’s about 200 times a millionaire now, so he can afford some classics, but he doesn’t want them to become a “beast of burden”.
Keith Richards – Pontiac Chieftain ‘Silver Streak’ Convertible (1950)
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Keith Richards’ Pontiac, known as the “Silver Streak” for its chrome hood stripes, was bought second-hand on the Côte d’Azur in November 1971 while living in Villefranche-sur-Mer as a tax exile. During this time, the Stones huddled into a makeshift studio in the basement of Keith’s decadent Villa Nellcôte and edited Exile On Main St. It is hoped that the current owner of the car will hang a pair of blurry tumbling dice on the rear. Mirror.
Brian Jones – Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II (1959)
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The Rolling Stones’ founder, guitarist Brian Jones, was rarely ready to drive, so a chauffeured Rolls-Royce was the perfect choice for transportation. He bought the Silver Cloud II from Beatle George Harrison, and the license plate was a good fit for the Hellbringer: DD 666. Apparently the “DD” stood for “Devil’s Disciple”. The car was originally silver, but Brian decided to paint it black. On July 3, 1969, he was found at the bottom of his swimming pool, dead at the age of 27. Let’s hope it’s in a better place now than where the DD 666 license plate is. We asked the DVLA: It is currently on a Hyundai.
Bill Wyman – MGB (1964)
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While his bandmates bought aristocratic Bentleys and Rolls-Royces, bassist Bill Wyman opted for a more humble machine, but one that became just as iconic in the mid-1960s. That two-seat roadster was costing less than £ 1,000 when Bill grabbed his in 1964. However, he decided on spoked wheels instead of the “Steel Wheels”, which were celebrated with the band in 1989 with his swan song.
Keith Richards – Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur (1965)
Keith’s Mulliner-Bentley, the Rolling Stones’ most famous car, was named “Blue Lena” after the American singer Lena Horne. “I sent her a picture of it,” recalls Keith in his autobiography “Life”. “A car of some rarity, one of a limited edition of 87. This car was already having problems, breaking establishment rules and driving a car I was definitely not born into.” His place in rock and roll history came after the infamous drug bankruptcy at Keith’s house in West Sussex in 1967. “We decided to leave England. It was one of those sudden things. Let’s jump in the Bentley and go to Morocco. “Chauffeur Tom Keylock was driving while Brian Jones was dumped in a hospital in Toulouse on the way with mild pneumonia / severe drug-related irritability. As they continued through Spain, Anita Pallenberg – then Brian’s friend – conveyed her affection to the other guitarist in the band … in the back seat of the Bentley. The couple had three children and stayed together until 1980. The Flying Spur had a number of custom novelties, including a secret compartment for Keith’s illegal stash. Anita later installed speakers behind the grille. With the help of a microphone, she pretended to be a policewoman and gave alarmed passengers false instructions. “Some girls” what?
Mick Jagger – Aston Martin DB6 (1966)
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Perhaps jealous of his pop rival Paul McCartney, who had a green DB6, Mick Jagger went out and bought a midnight blue one. Shortly after Mick received the delivery in the summer of 1966, he was driving his model friend Chrissie Shrimpton (sister of Jean) down Great Titchfield Street when she was in her humble Ford Anglia (a metaphor for the culture war of the 1960s) with the Countess of Carlisle collided. maybe. Or just a hurricane at the intersection). Its passenger door and its rear wing were badly dented. The “Street Fighting Man” looked like he might have his “19th Nervous Breakdown ”as fans and a photographer huddled while he gave a statement to the police. “Hey, you, get out of the car,” the Bobby probably ordered.
Bill Wyman – Mercedes-Benz 250 S (1966)
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The first of many Mercedes the bassist would own, Bill Wyman bought this W108-series sedan with stacked headlights and specified tinted rear windows. Mercedes had never made curved tinted glass before, so it contributed £ 350 to research and development. He sold it after four years and many happy miles, missed it and bought it back in 1991 from an old lady in Bury St. Edmunds for £ 1,000. She asked for the sum in £ 1 bills. The car was in a sorry state. Worst of all, the precious tinted windows were cracked. Bill spent £ 20,000 to restore the Benz to its former glory. It was an “emotional salvation” in many ways.
Ronnie Wood – Lotus Seven S3 (1969)
Ronnie Wood joined the Stones in 1975 after previously starring in The Faces with Rod Stewart. In that earlier era, Ron enjoyed blasting around in a Lotus Seven, the Colin Chapman-designed lightweight kit car that featured prominently on the cult TV show The Prisoner. The guitarist later developed a preference for large, leathery coupes and convertibles from Bentley and Rolls-Royce. The contrasting seven indicates a more innocent and looser time, something with less force than “A Bigger Bang”.
Mick Jagger – Morgan Plus 8 (1969)
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Like Ronnie, Mick Jagger likes simple, traditional British sports cars and was in love with a lemon-yellow Morgan in 1969. Its throwback design, reminiscent of the 1930s, was paired with a 3.5-liter Rover V8. Initially, Marianne Faithfull was a regular in the passenger seat. Then she was replaced by Bianca Perez-Mora Macias, and the Morgan joined the couple in St. Tropez for their 1971 wedding. “You can’t always get what you want,” because at the end of the 1970s Mick had let go of both the Brazilian beauty and the roadster.
Bill Wyman – Citroën SM (1971)
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Bill Wyman’s Head-Turner from 1971 combines Citroën’s steering and suspension magic, Maserati’s engine know-how (SM stood for Série Maserati) and the space-inspired Gallic style and is one of our favorites of the time. There has to be something that appeals to bassists; U2’s Adam Clayton and Coldplay’s Guy Berryman are also SM owners. Maserati hacked two cylinders from its V8 to create the required V6, but still produced 170 “Wild Horses” while the aerodynamic body allowed a top speed of 140 mph, making it the fastest front-wheel drive car in the world. Bill picked up the car at his home in the south of France while the band Exile On Main St was recording, and transported many of The Rolling Stone’s many artist and musician friends, including Marc Chagall, César, and Ringo Starr, over the next decade. Bill would (probably) tell them to take care of their sticky fingers as he didn’t want the paintwork to be marked.
Keith Richards – Ferrari Dino 246GT (1972)
© VDWI Automotive / Alamy Photo in stock
The Dino, named after Enzo Ferrari’s first and favorite son, was seen as a “junior” V6 Ferrari when it was built, but is now one of the most sought-after cars of the 1970s. Keith put 25,000 miles on his; While the other members of the band flew between European tour dates, Keith drove the dinosaur. Maybe it was because the substances he had secreted in the doors weren’t welcome at airport security, or he just couldn’t stand being stuck in the sky with Mick. The Glimmer Twins didn’t get along very well during this period, so the guitarist made his way to Blue & Lonesome. He sold the car in 1986 and it was later bought by Liam Howlett of The Prodigy’s. We are sure that he found the possession of a Ferrari of such rock’n’roll origin a great “satisfaction”.
Bill, Mick and Keith – Ferrari 400i (1983)
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Their satanic majesties request three Ferrari 400is. And their request is granted. It’s 1983 and the order from Bill, Mick, and Keith comes to Maranello, where three of these 2 + 2 coupes are being prepared. Keith used his black five-speed left-hand drive in Paris while the band laid tracks for the albums Undercover and Dirty Work in the 1980s. The 400i was seen as a rather unpopular car for many years, but prices are slowly rising. Keith’s is by far the most valuable example. RM Sotheby’s sold it direct from him in 2017 for £ 300,000 – twice as much as estimated. Keith hardly promised: “I opened it a couple of times. She is a very quick girl. “
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