1971 Austin A135 Princess
- Engine
- 4.0L OHV inline-six, 125 bhp
This Austin A135 Princess, bodied by Arthur Mulliner Ltd. of Northampton on a long-wheelbase chassis, was purchased by John Lennon in August 1971 and used extensively during the filming of his celebrated film and album project Imagine. Lennon subsequently modified the interior with airline-style seating. After passing through a Hollywood documentary filmmaker and later an American collector, the car was donated to a Texas rock-and-roll museum, where it has been on public display since 2008. Documentary evidence includes a Lennon-signed registration document.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate £185,000 – £260,000
- 1971-08-01 → 1972Acquisition unknownJohn Ono Lennonfull documentation
Lennon bought the car and used it extensively during production of the Imagine film, later modifying the interior with twin rows of aircraft-style seats with ashtray armrests.
- 1972 → 1987Private saleWilliam McGawpartial documentation
Film producer based in La Jolla, California; took the car on a family tour of Ireland while shooting a documentary about sectarian conflict, then returned it to California and registered it under the plate EMAJIN.
- 2005 → 2008AuctionMilton Verretpartial documentation
Texas-based collector who acquired the car at Julien's Auction House and subsequently donated it to a rock and roll car museum in Austin.
- 2008 →InheritanceAustin Rock & Roll Car Museumpartial documentation
Received the car as a donation and has displayed it continuously on the gallery floor; routine servicing performed as needed with no major restoration carried out.
Competition
No competition history extracted from the catalogue.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1971Modification
The interior was refitted with two rows of airline-style seats incorporating ashtray armrests, reportedly at Lennon's direction following the Imagine filming.
- —ServiceAustin Rock & Roll Car Museum
Ongoing routine maintenance carried out by museum caretakers over the years of gallery display; no major restoration work has been undertaken, and original paintwork and front seat leather retain their natural patina.
The most recent caretaker confirmed the car shows no evidence of significant restoration.
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