Jay Kay is flogging his rare Bentley which appeared in one of his Jamiroquai music videos – and is expected to sell for over £1million.
The Virtual Insanity 90s star has even left one of his band’s cassettes in the driver’s side door.
The frontman – real name Jason Luís Cheetham – is known for his love of flash motors and currently has over 50 in his collection – including a Ferrari Enzo and a Lamborghini Miura SV.
But the 53-year-old is selling his 1958 Bentley S1 Continental Drophead Coupé convertible – one of his first ever purchased – after owning it for 22 years.
It is one of only 94 ever made and just 55 were produced of his specification.
It has just 39,032 miles on the clock – with only 7,000 done by Jay Kay – and can do 119mph and 0-60mph in 13.1 seconds.
Jamiroquai cassette tape in the door (Credit: Jam Press / Simon Clay Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)
He opted for it in 2001, over a modern, £110,000 Bentley Continental favoured by Premier League footballers.
It featured in the Jamiroquai music video for his song Love Foolosophy that year driven by Jay Kay with supermodel Heidi Klum in the back seat.
It reached Number 14 in the charts
In the door compartment there is still a cassette tape which reads: ‘Jamiroquai ‘Little L’ 1, Radio Edit, 2, Wounded Buffalo Remix.’
Little L got to Number 5 in the charts and was about his split from TV star Denise van Outen,.
The black Bentley is being sold by RM Sotheby’s in Chobham, Surrey.
The listing reads: “In the early 1960s, Bentley’s parent company Rolls-Royce ran an advertisement that bragged ‘At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock’.
Under the bonnet of Jay Kay’s Bentley (Credit: Jam Press / Simon Clay Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)
“Whilst the car featured in the advertisement was a Silver Cloud, the ad was careful to state that Bentleys were also made by Rolls-Royce, and the claim certainly rang true for the sister company.
“If the engine was surpassed only in noise by the clock, surely the only other noise that would come close to that would be music on its radio.
“The genre of music this particular Bentley would eventually become famed for, however, was still decades away—both acoustically and chronologically.”
It adds: “By the late 1990s, Jamiroquai had risen to international stardom and were ranked as the third best-selling British artist of the decade, following the Spice Girls and Oasis.
“With their fifth studio album, A Funk Odyssey, set to be released to critical acclaim and commercial success in September of 2001, frontman Jay Kay could finally indulge in his life’s second passion, cars.
“Looking to purchase a Bentley in late 2000, Jay Kay was faced with the decision between purchasing this car or a ‘modern’ Continental.
“For him, the decision was easy after experiencing both. Drawn to this car’s inherent charm and attractive colours, Jay purchased chassis BC40EL in January of 2001 through the renowned Bentley and Rolls-Royce specialists at P&A Wood in Essex.
“This would become one of the first vehicles in his now-renowned collection, and has been one of the longest lasting.”
It continued: “Maintained by P&A Wood throughout 2001 as Jay Kay sought to have the Bentley in perfect running order, he put approximately 2,000 miles on the car during his first year of ownership.
“The Bentley would intersect with Jay Kay’s personal and professional life in 2002, when it was decided that the car would feature in the music video for Love Foolosophy, Jamiroquai’s third single from A Funk Odyssey.
“Jay Kay’s friend and supermodel Heidi Klum had expressed interest in appearing in one of Jamiroquai’s music videos and in Jay’s opinion, his S1 Continental Drophead Coupé was the perfect complement to her beauty and charisma in the Love Foolosophy music video.
Inside the pop star’s vintage Bentley (Credit: Jam Press / Simon Clay Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)
“The car was shipped to Marbella, Spain, to be used for the shoot, appearing prominently in the first third of the video, where Jay drives Klum, lounging gracefully across the rear bench seat.
“And an Afghan Hound, riding shotgun next to Jay, as they travel to a party across a picturesque mountain road.
“Remaining a cornerstone piece in Jay’s collection following its fifteen minutes of fame in the Love Foolosophy music video, the Bentley has been very well looked after ever since.
“Its extensive history file includes numerous MoTs and service invoices from Jay’s ownership, with less than 5,000 miles covered since the video.
“Since the completion of the car’s restoration in the early 1990s, it has been driven less than 16,000 miles, with just under 7,000 miles being accumulated during Jay Kay’s ownership.
“Although it cannot be verified at this time, the car’s present odometer reading of approximately 40,000 miles is thought to be original, supported by numerous MoT dating back to 1993.
A Bentley S1 Continental Drophead Coupé was previously sold by Sotheby’s five years ago for £1.27million.
