Remember When Rocker Joe Cocker’s Amazing Car Was For Sale in Downtown Grand Junction?

Sticker Price Nearly $80,000

The car, a '95 Jaguar XJ12  was brand new when it was purchased from Peyton Cramer Jaguar in Torrance, California. The sticker price was $77,250.00. Joe Cocker actually learned how to drive in this car- and he owned it until his death in 2014. Obviously, he didn't drive it very much because it had less than 30,000 miles on it when  Kelley took ownership of the car in 2014.

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Joe Cocker Donates His Car in Paonia

Kelley tells the story of how Joe Cocker willed the car to public radio station KVNF in Paonia after he was diagnosed with cancer in January of 2014. Cocker passed away on December 22, 2014, in Crawford at the age of 70. His generosity and philanthropy are well-known in the North Fork Valley where he lived during his later years.

Lucky Bid Brings Car to Grand Junction

The radio station kept the car for a short time and it was soon put up for auction and purchased by Tom Kelley of Grand Junction. Tom told me he later learned that his winning bid came with just 7 seconds remaining in the online auction and his bid was just $5 higher than the next highest bidder. That was close. He said he was ready to give up, but his wife, Brenda, insisted he keep bidding. Brenda really wanted the car because she was born in England and her mother was a big Joe Cocker fan.

Tom wanted to keep the car in western Colorado because of Joe Cocker's connection to the region. The car was sold to a Grand Junction resident in 2019, so Tom got his wish - but he is hopeful the car will end up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame someday along with Cocker.