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Rock Stars Cars -- the Aerosmith and John Lennon Edition

You know what bothered me about the show “American Pickers”? As entertaining as it is, watching them discover all these hidden gems among a trash heap someone has in their barn, they always end up over-paying for items. I suspected this for years, and finally a magazine did an article stating the same thing. It said they would make no money paying the prices they pay for the items they have, since they’re basically buying many of them for what they’re worth. To have a job like that work, you buy something at 20% of it’s value, and sell it for more. Sometimes you refurbish the item to make it look better. But as the magazine pointed out, they’re making money because they have a TV show, not a shop re-selling all this.

Well, when I got home last week and my wife told me about the Aerosmith van from 1970, I was intrigued. I’ve seen them a few times in concert. I own a few of their albums. I have an autographed Aerosmith comic book. But I wouldn’t consider myself a hardcore fan. I’m just interested in things like this.

This piece of rock ‘n roll history, where I’m guessing at least 4 groupies had enjoyed the backseat, was discovered in the woods of Massachusetts. For those that don’t know, Aerosmith is from Boston. I was hoping to see the van with that distinct Aerosmith logo, but it had a much more bizarre logo painted on the side. Obviously, this was used years before the band traveled by limo and private planes.

For the car nuts, this is a 1964 International Harvester Metro van. It was abandoned in the ‘70s, and apparently one original member of the band (Ray Tabano) confirmed it was real. I felt bad that I didn’t know who Tabano was. He was only in the group for two years, so...he’s probably living in a van somewhere. Seriously, can you imagine being in a band for a few years, and it’s not until AFTER you leave the group that they become huge?

And as usual, they over-paid for this thing. They spent $25,000 for it. I’m guessing Steven Tyler wouldn’t have spent that much. Perhaps maybe a restaurant like the Hard Rock Cafe, in Boston, would’ve given $5,000 for it. I dunno.

Because the van had been outside for so long, it was in horrible condition. It’s missing a door, the tires are flat, there’s rust all around it, and the carpet was falling from the ceiling. I’m also guessing the battery was dead.

The other rock star car, is the last car John Lennon owned. Now, I’ve said before, having that Rolls Royce that Lennon once painted all psychedelic colors, would’ve been groovy as hell. But this car...I just don’t see how it will garner much interest. I mean, would you want to own a mini van that Aretha Franklin once owned? Listen, she’s a legend, but a mini van? Just not a cool vehicle. This isn’t much better. You see, it was the late 70s. Lennon was a lot more low-profile. He wasn’t hanging out at the clubs getting drunk with Harry Nilsson anymore. Even those terrific songs on “Double Fantasy” were a more mature Lennon. In the 70s in NYC, he was often seen riding around in a 1972 Chrysler Town and Country station wagon, that was the lovely color green. On the History Channel’s show “Lost and Found” they said Lennon decided to buy a new car, and they went with a diesel Mercedes-Benz 300 TD Wagon. The vehicle hadn’t been released in the U.S. yet, but when you’re a former Beatle, that’s no problem. John had his assistant send Mercedes-Benz a check for $30,000 (that’s the equivalent of about $90,000 today). They promptly sent one over the pond for him here. It’s the vehicle he had in his apartment parking garage the night he was murdered. It wasn’t sold until six years later, and had changed owners many times since. On September 1st, the Worldwide Auctioneers event in Auburn, Indiana, is going to offer it without a reserve.

This regular vehicle might get $25,000, but as Kramer once said on an episode of “Seinfeld”...”Jon Voight owned this car!!!

John Lennon is certainly a bigger deal than Jon Voight.

Now, if Lennon had written on the dash, “Baby you can drive my car”...perhaps than you’d have something.

Views: 580

Tags: Aerosmith, Aerosmith van, American Pickers, John Lennon, John Lennon's car, Steven Tyler

Comment by Tim G. on August 28, 2018 at 8:44am

Josh, I wasn't trying to start anything. It was meant as a good nature banter. Which I thought that you got, with the comment that you made. Wasn't looking for anyone to back me up, it was just in Fun.

Comment by Josh Board on August 28, 2018 at 8:51am

It was, it was. But after James post, I thought...oh brother, is this what is happening here? So, my bad. Your response was funny and as I said...well played. 

Comment by Joe W. on August 28, 2018 at 9:20am

The Aerosmith van is the coolest! Would love to own that thing and park it in the yard just as it is. But $25 grand! No way.....

Comment by Josh Board on August 28, 2018 at 9:47am

There's no way it's worth close to $25,000. Even the biggest Aerosmith fan would pass, I'm sure. Now...if I had it...I'd take the fender off, and try to get the band members to autograph it. Although even then...unless it's in the parking lot of a Hard Rock Cafe in Boston, I can't imagine there'd be much interest.

Comment by Patrick1977 on September 2, 2018 at 11:34pm

Some of the band are car nuts I recall Kramer's Ferrari burned down in a gas station in 1998 and I think it was Joe Perry complaning about selling his Ferrari Daytona cheap when money was needed for drigs in early 1980's. And I think Tyler used to drive some crazy expanisve s***. For them the 25k plus the expanse for restauration is a piece of cake. The funny thing is that they now have band merch with that very same logo as on the truck so maybe they are aware of the fact that the truck was discovered.

But to get back to the topic of this page about signstures. I have seen dozend of Porsches with signed dashboards by Rally WC Walter Röhrl or Ferraris signed by one of the F1 drivers but I don't think that increases the value of the cars. I for myself used to collect modelcars and when I had the oportunity to get the base of the show case signed by a driver or the head of the company I tried to get it done so I have some very nice and probably rare autographs compined with the model. Bad thing is nobody cares about so the real value stays with me LOL

Comment by Josh Board on September 3, 2018 at 9:18pm

The gas station fire reminds me...Reggie Jackson had about 28 cars burn down in a garage once, if memory serves.

Yeah, I've seen dashboards signed by Carroll Shelby (one on the Cobra in front of director James Cameron's house)

Comment by Tim G. on September 5, 2018 at 5:31pm

Mr. Shelby signed my GT500 as well. It does add some value to the car. His signature on the Dash or Sun Visor, sell for about 3k-5k on Ebay. Still very Cool to have one of his Shelby's, but even more Cool to have his Autograph on yours.

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