Nobody told me there'd be days like these — except John Lennon

As you know John Lennon and I never drop names, but he did make a prediction in 1979 that in 2020 the world would be having "Strange days indeed, most peculiar Mama." And he was right.

When positive is negative, wearing masks into banks is compulsory, Hamo comes second in a race, Holden has become a dirty word because the American owners have done over their Australian dealers and the two major codes of professional football are played only in Queensland, Lenno (as the old bloke and I used to call him) was a good predictor for a fellow who didn't like cars all that much.

We were in the Gentleman's Library at the Pierre (2 East 61st Street at 5th Avenue, New York) 41 years ago (I was 10, Mick had just turned 60), Lenno was downing a few brandy alexanders (his favourite cocktail) while the old bloke and I stuck to the Never See It Comings (house-made pineapple vodka aged for three weeks — $26 a cocktail glass full and at least three weeks of no memory).

In fact, Lenno was such a waste of time car guy (good at the singing caper though) that he bought a 1965 Rolls Royce Phantom V and gave it a psychedelic paint scheme.

Talking of the Weekend Australian Racing Team most of us — well, Phil Alexander, Fowler and I — were in rain and snow-soaked Wakefield Park on Sunday for another round of the MX-5 Cup.

OK, somehow we were talking about Lenno. So, when he first moved to New York his favoured drive was a green 1972 Chrysler Town and Country station wagon. It was in such crook condition even James Freeman would knock it back for the Shitbox Rally.

One of his staff said if Lenno and Yoko didn't want to die early they should buy a new car. Interestingly, Lenno had a thing for Mercs. He imported a fully specced 1979 Mercedes-Benz Turbodiesel Estate Wagon that wouldn't pull the crust off a custard but cost him around $140k.

Look, you know the story; the Merc was the last car he would own but it did shuttle him and his musical equipment to and from the music studio where he was recording his last album, Double Fantasy, which — despite Yoko singing a few tunes — won the 1981 Grammy Award for best album.

A year later he was shot and Yoko kept the Merc under the carport for another six years. Worldwide Auctions put it up alongside Paul McCartney's Mini, expecting more than $700k, but I remember it bringing only $70k.