For sale: Bruce Springsteen’s first car — a ’57 Chevy

TRENTON — It's the ultimate piece of Bruce Springsteen memorabilia: his first car.

The yellow 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air that Springsteen bought in 1975 for $2,000 is up for bid on eBay by seller blindedbythelight.com. As of Thursday morning, bidding was up to $123,000. The seller claims the car was once insured for $800,000.

Bidding ends 11:50 p.m. Monday.

The winning bidder also gets the car's original vehicle registration, temporary insurance card and Allstate insurance card in Bruce’s name and address.

“In '70’s New Jersey, the car was still a powerful image. That summer I bought my first set of wheels for two thousand dollars. It was a ‘57 Chevy with dual, four-barrel carbs, a Hurst on the floor and orange flames spread across the hood," Springsteen wrote in his autobiography "Songs."

Springsteen aficionado Tom Cunningham, host of the weekly Bruce Brunch program on 105.7 The Hawk, said the car is one of the first things that The Boss bought following the success of "Born To Run."

"Sounds like that it was also one of the first things that he got rid of as it was too recognizable," according to Cunningham.

It was featured in the March 1976 issue of Playboy and also articles in Time and Newsweek magazines and on T-shirts and a poster. The car also provided inspiration for his songs "Thunder Road" and "Backstreets." He sold the car in 1976 and bought a 1960 black Corvette that he still drives.

"It was part of the exhibit done on him at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, so it was cool to be able to see it up close and personal," Cunningham said. Prior to that it was at the Hall's annex in New York and was its most popular artifact.

The car has a manual transmission and only has 2,600 miles on it. The mechanical and electrical systems of the car have been entirely overhauled but the body and frame are untouched and date back to Springsteen's ownership.