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

The unique 1975 Panther De Ville car belonging to late rock legend Johnny Hallyday has been sold for €132,000 at auction, 46 years after he lost it in a poker game. With its luxurious features, the car caught the attention of a French buyer looking for a special project.

A classic car owned by the late French rock star Johnny Hallyday before he lost it at poker has sold for €132,000 ($143,000; £110,000) at auction. The Panther De Ville was given to him in 1975 by his then-wife, fellow singer Sylvie Vartan. Its custom-made fittings include mink seats, a gold disc on top of the grille and hubcaps carrying his initials.

French auction house Osenat told the BBC that the vehicle was bought by a French man for "a specific project, which he will discuss shortly," and the buyer had to pay an additional buyer's premium of €26,400. Hallyday lost the car while playing poker with a friend in 1977.

Osenat told the BBC that Hallyday reportedly tried to buy the vehicle back from the owner, but was dissuaded from doing so by his manager who cited limited finances. The Panther De Ville was a neo-classic luxury car with a 1930s-style design, produced in Britain from 1974 to 1985 and powered by a V12 Jaguar engine. Hallyday's yellow-and-black 1975 model was one of 69 classic cars sold by Osenat in Fontainebleau, near Paris, on Monday. The auctioneers had expected the vehicle to fetch between €55,000 and €80,000.

The gold disc is inscribed with Hallyday's name. Vartan had it placed on top of the grille to celebrate the best-selling records he released in 1975. Hallyday was a renowned car enthusiast, but within two years, he was forced to part with the vehicle after losing a poker game at a friend's home, Osenat's Stéphane Pavot told the France Info website. However, the lucky winner preferred sportier models and later exchanged it for a Ferrari whose owner was a true fan of Hallyday's, he added.

Vartan and Hallyday divorced in 1980. Hallyday sold more than 110 million records and starred in a number of films over a career that spanned 57 years. He continued to tour until shortly before his death of lung cancer in 2017, aged 74.