Marilyn Monroe's 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned
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The classic car driven by Marilyn Monroe to her third wedding is to be auctioned - and is expected to fetch up to $500,000.
"Some Like It Hot" star Monroe bought the black two-door Ford Thunderbird straight from the factory in 1955.
She drove in it with playwright Arthur Miller to their wedding in 1956, according to auctioneer Julien’s Auctions.
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It is expected to fetch between $300,000 and $500,000 when it goes under the hammer on November 17 in Los Angeles.
Monroe owned the convertible for six years before gifting it to John Strasberg, the son of director Lee Strasberg, for his 18th birthday shortly before her death in 1962.
The Thunderbird, dubbed a "personal luxury car" by Ford, has been partially restored.
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But special attention was “given to the retention of original parts, with most driver and passenger touch surfaces left undisturbed”.
The V8 Thunderbird, which boasts 225 horsepower and a top speed of 113 mph, has clocked 30,399 miles since its engine rebuild.
Darren Julien, president of Julien’s Auctions, said: “Once in a while something comes along that has a powerful magic about it, a charisma, because of everything and everyone associated with it.
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“This wonderful black Ford Thunderbird is not only part of the automotive history but comes with an aura of glamour, romance and tragedy of a true Hollywood legend.”
The car will be sold be as part of an Icons and Idols sale.
Monroe, who was also a model and singer, became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s.
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She married her first husband, James Dougherty, aged 16 and divorced before signing acting contracts with Twentieth Century-Fox and Columbia Pictures.
Monroe was scouted following a successful pin-up modelling career and appeared in a series of minor film roles.
But the blonde bombshell became one of the most marketable Hollywood stars, landing leading roles in noir film Niagara and comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
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She married twice more, to baseball player Joe DiMaggio (1954), and Miller six years before her death.
Monroe struggled with substance abuse and depression. She died suddenly in 1962 after overdosing on barbiturates at her LA home.