The Beatles and their automobile stars

The Beatles were great car lovers, and only the best was good enough for the Fab Four. The four musicians from Liverpool had the finest vehicles in their garages, from Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin to Rolls-Royce, Mercedes and Porsche. In his enthusiasm, Ringo Starr even forgot to get a driver's license and only secured his license after buying a Facel Vega.

George Harrison was by far the band's biggest car fan and at times had a stake in a sports car manufacturer. John Lennon, who was hardly suited to a career behind the wheel due to his poor eyesight, shocked the British public with his brightly painted Rolls-Royce Phantom V and was viciously abused for his supposed lack of taste. Paul McCartney combined music with his automotive preferences and began composing the worldwide hit "Hey Jude" in an Aston Martin. The band's enterprising manager, Brian Epstein, profited from the foursome's passion and founded a car dealership that served other musicians as well as the Beatles.

In his book "Baby you can drive my car - die Auto-Biografie der Beatles", Siegfried Tesche has compiled the automobiles of the Fab Four. It has been published by Motorbuch-Verlag Stuttgart and costs 29.90 euros. (aum)