In a time when rock and roll ruled supreme, the Rolling Stones sat at the pinnacle of the musical revolution. Keith Richards, guitar god and Rolling Stones superstar, was notorious for not only his phenomenal talents but also his impeccable taste in automobiles.
In 1967 while in the midst of some legal troubles, Keith, along with founding member Brian Jones and his girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg, decided to get out of London and travel to Morocco. As Keith put it, “It was one of those sudden things, “Let’s jump in the Bentley and go to Morocco.” So in early March we did a runner. We’ve got free time and we’ve got the best car to do it in. This was Blue Lena, as it was christened, my dark blue Bentley, my S3 Continental Flying Spur – an automobile of some rarity, one of a limited edition of 87. It had a huge bonnet, and to turn it you really had to swing it about. Blue Lena required some art and knowledge of its contours in tight situations – it was six inches wider at the back than the front. You got to know your car, no doubt about that. Three tons of machinery. A car that was made to be driven fast at night.”
Keith’s bodyguard and chauffeur, Tom Keylock, drove the three of them all the way to Tangier making a few stops along the way. While in Tangier, Brian, who had been fighting with Anita the entire trip, became ill and had to be hospitalized. Instead of waiting for him to recover, Keith and Anita decided to head back to London, leaving Brian behind. They utilized the spacious backseat of the motor car ‘effectively’ which created a massive rift between Keith and Brian that almost destroyed the band.
This grand driving tour ultimately was the straw that broke the camel’s back as Brian had been sinking into a dark, depressive world. Shortly after this trip Brian was kicked out of the band he founded and replaced by, arguably, the best technical guitarist the Stones ever had: Mick Taylor. Following his joining of the band, the Rolling Stones acquired the title of “The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World”.
One could wonder how things may have turned out differently for the Rolling Stone had Keith not owned that rare Bentley S63 Flying Spur.
