The Beatles might be more readily associated with The Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and the Mini Cooper, but its Ringo Starr’s assassin-spec Mercedes 190 were interested in today.

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On the face of it, Starr’s order of a 2.0 litre 190e in 1984 seems a boring choice for a man with millions at his disposal, but Starr had plans for the little Mercedes 190. Immediately sending it off to Strattons (Wilmslow) Ltd., Starr had the car converted to AMG ‘widebody’ specification, complete with a 2.3 litre engine.

The result of Starr’s creative customization is a car that looks straight from the set of Mad Max, with its matte black detailing, wide flares and black wheels.

But this wasn’t just a car to look at, as pleasingly, Starr kept and drove the car for years. He eventually gave the car to his wife, Barbara, in 1989 and then his son Zak in 1990.

Starr fondly referred to the car as his ‘Baby Benz’ and was a fan of its combination of big car luxury and sports car compactness. Indeed with a top speed of 131 mph and power output of just under 150 bhp, the car was no slouch.

After years of service to Starr and his family, the car is now displayed at the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart, alongside other cars of famous owners, such as the G-Class ‘Popemobile’.

The car has proven a popular exhibit at the museum, as much because of its presence as its celebrity connection, as shown by this video from carshowclassic.