Johnny Hallyday's Poker-Lost Car Fetches €132,000 at Auction

A unique piece of music history from Johnny Hallyday's life, his lost Panther De Ville car, has fetched an impressive €132,000 in an auction.

A classic 1975 Panther De Ville once owned by the legendary French rocker Johnny Hallyday has sold for €132,000 ($143,000; £110,000) at auction. This bespoke model was a gift from his then-wife, singer Sylvie Vartan, and boasts luxurious features including plush mink seats and a gold disc on the grille to commemorate Hallyday’s chart-topping records.

The auction was conducted by the French house Osenat, where the car attracted bids from various collectors. The winning bidder, a French national, revealed plans for a "specific project," although details remain under wraps. He was required to pay an additional buyer’s premium of €26,400 alongside the winning bid.

Once a symbol of Hallyday's success, the car was lost to the musician during a poker game with a friend in 1977. Reports indicate Hallyday had sought to retrieve the vehicle, but his financial circumstances at the time, as advised by his manager, discouraged him from doing so. The Panther De Ville, designed in the style of 1930s luxury cars, featured a V12 Jaguar engine and was produced in limited quantities in Britain from 1974 to 1985.

Hallyday's striking yellow-and-black model was one of 69 classic cars sold during the auction in Fontainebleau, near Paris. Auctioneers had anticipated the car would sell for between €55,000 to €80,000 due to its rarity and Hallyday's star power.

The gold disc adorning the car, inscribed with Hallyday's name, remains a testament to his monumental record sales in 1975. Despite his passion for automobiles, Hallyday lost the sporty vehicle within two years after it was lost in the poker game. The lucky winner of this historic car later traded it for a Ferrari, showcasing the continued allure of Hallyday's legacy among car enthusiasts.

Johnny Hallyday, often referred to as the French Elvis, left an indelible mark on music and cinema, selling over 110 million records throughout his career before his passing in 2017 at the age of 74.