Everyone knows Pink Floyd, one of the greatest rock bands to ever grace a stage. What many don’t know is a beautiful Ferrari 250 GTO played a key role in getting the group in front of hordes of screaming fans, spreading its popularity around the globe.
Ferrari won’t sell to these celebrities.
Back in the day before streaming and YouTube were a thing, many musicians depended on big tours to not only strengthen their fan base but also grow it. Nick Mason, Pink Floyd’s drummer, understood this principle well, but the band was in a bit of a financial pinch.
Pink Floyd was planning to embark on its legendary A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour. With 198 shows planned from September 1987 to June 1990, it was an aggressive push to get them in front of countless fans. But potential investors weren’t so sure the financial risk was worth any potential payoff.
Faced with the possibility of scaling back or even canceling the tour, Mason told AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson in a recorded interview he decided to put up his Ferrari 250 GTO as collateral to secure funding for the massive tour.
Mason bought the Ferrari back in 1978 for a mere £35,000. Considering today it’s worth in excess of £40 million, it was a wise purchase. But of even greater value was it being used to launch a wildly successful world tour.
In other words, the tremendous gamble paid off. As you can see in the interview with Johnson, Mason has a garage full of lust-worthy rides. But to be honest, his Ferrari 250 GTO is the most valuable, both on the open market and intrinsically. Had the drummer not believed in Pink Floyd so much, he might never have risked his beloved ride to make the A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour happen and who knows what the fate of the band would’ve been?
Today, Mason says he drives the Ferrari often, including in traffic and as you see in the video in inclement weather. We respect that. After all, cars were made to be driven, not kept in preservation bubbles. The man has also used it for special family occasions like each of his daughters’ weddings.
Images via Brian Johnson TV/YouTube
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