If you think celebrity car auctions are all supercars and six-figure egos, Jello Biafra is here to ruin – and improve – that narrative.
The former Dead Kennedys frontman is auctioning off his 1989 Toyota Celica GT Convertible—a blue, five-speed, no-reserve time capsule with 212,303 miles on the clock. And not on CraigsList or NextDoor or Facebook, either – it’s listed through Hemmings Auctions, one of the most respected and well-known auction houses in the world.
Jello Biafra’s 1989 Toyota Celica
Hemmings
A friend assisting Biafra doesn’t even pretend it’s restored. The Celica “displays its battle scars proudly,” but it’s described as running, riding, starting and stopping “top notch.”
The hook here isn’t horsepower—it’s collectibility. As arena-filling classic rockers as well as the lesser-known underground musicians of the 70s and 80s continue to age, any curious object, car, artwork, instrument or artwork becomes collectible, the same as, say, Al Jolson’s hat or the gun that took the life of 1930s crooner Russ Columbo. The past, given enough time, is valuable.
Biafra’s Celica isn’t John Lennon’s Rolls-Royce, nor Elvis Presley’s Cadillac—just a well-worn Toyota that’s spent decades as a punk icon’s daily driver, with the winning bidder offered the option to pick it up from Biafra personally and tour San Francisco’s punk landmarks with him.
The auction is running through December 20, 2025, according to reporting tied to the listing.
Jello Biafra’s 1989 Toyota Celica
Hemmings
Under the hood, the Hemmings listing notes the original 3S-FE four-cylinder (a 2.0-liter twin-cam 16-valve inline-four rated 115 hp when new) and a five-speed manual sending power to the front wheels. The page also leans into the mythology: the car’s stereo, it says, was where Biafra listened to “a great many punk band hopefuls… who sent in demo tapes.”
Why is Biafra a big deal to begin with? He’s not just a singer—he’s one of the loudest political mouths punk ever produced. Dead Kennedys formed in San Francisco in June 1978, became famous for sharp satire and social commentary, and Biafra’s voice and lyrics were central to the band’s identity.
After his time with the band, Biafra continued as a musician and spoken-word performer and has long been associated with the fiercely independent label Alternative Tentacles, which he co-founded and later ran.
That label is also where the money goes. Hemmings states that proceeds from the Celica sale will support Alternative Tentacles, described as “long-running but always struggling.” It’s actually a very on-brand, respectable move – cashing in on celebrity in a way that’s less “private jet” and more “keep the presses humming.”
Also, bidders aren’t buying a collectible Toyota so much as a moving artifact – an affordable, battered little convertible that helped carry a scene—plus the chance, if you pick up locally, to take a ride through punk history with one of its most notorious pioneers.
*Addendum Monday 12-22-25
SOLD DATE 12-20-25 2:35 PM
$33,600
Number of bids: 40
Watchers: 82
Views: 58,290
