In photos: Bentley owned by Keith Richards going under the gavel
Its owner was a Rolling Stone. And oh, if only this car could talk, the stories it could tell. A blue Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur bought in 1965 by guitarist Keith Richards is going up for auction in September. "Blue Lena" - Richards named it after jazz singer Lena Horne - was used to transport Mick, Keef and the boys to some wild and crazy parties. And while the Bentley has a stately, reserved, elegant look, don't be fooled. Richards had it modified with a hidden compartment to conceal drugs and related paraphernalia. "It was a car meant to be driven fast at night," Richards said in his 2010 autobiography, Life. "My dark blue Bentley, my S3 Continental Flying Spur - an automobile of some rarity, one of a limited edition of 87. Having this car was already heading for trouble, breaking the rules of the establishment, driving a car I was definitely not born in to. 'Blue Lena' had carried us on many an acid-fuelled journey." But acid trips weren't the only drives Blue Lena was used for. In 1967, Richards took it to Morocco. The reason: to lay low because of the media frenzy surrounding drug charges he was facing in Britain - and because drugs were more freely available in Marrakech. "Richards sold Blue Lena in 1978, and it has since changed hands just three times," said James Knight, Bonhams Group motoring director, in a press release. "Following a five-year restoration, Blue Lena has been returned to its former glory, and will be offered at Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale." The pre-sale estimate is about $570,000-$855,000 and the Bonhams auction takes place Sept. 12 in Chichester, West Sussex, in south England.
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur once owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards