In 1977, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason splashed out on a new car. Or rather, he bought an old one. One of just 39 Ferrari 250 GTOs made in 1962, it raced at Le Mans (finishing third) the same year. The car cost Mason a whopping £35,000 and a fair amount of soul searching. “I felt naggingly stupid to be spending so much,” he said.
Cut to next scene: in 2012, two similar GTOs were sold at auction. One fetched $32 million, the other sold $35 million, and Mason’s investment was beginning to look like the bargain of the century. But it’s not just about the cash: as a rock star, your choice of car signifies a number of things. It tells the world how successful you are. It reveals your taste. And it’s sexy.
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This car and many others feature in Rock Stars Cars, a book by David Roberts that features pictures of, yep, you guessed it, rock stars alongside their cars.
The book features 127 iconic shots, from John Lennon’s psychedelic Roller to Janis Joplin’s equally colourful Porsche. You’ll also find appearances from Chuck Berry, Jon Bon Jovi, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Syd Barrett, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin and dozens of others (see gallery, below).
Rock Star Cars is available now.
