According to the Contra Costa Times in California, the first-ever truck used by the Grateful Dead is currently up for auction, and expected to be sold from anywhere between $300,000-500,000. Dubbed “The Dred,” the band received the 1949 Studebaker truck from Owsley Stanley, an early Grateful Dead sound man and the pioneering manufacturer of LSD.
The band used the truck in 1966, but, as they grew more successful, the truck was eventually returned to Stanley. When Stanley was arrested in 1970, he handed off the truck to a friend. It was subsequently lost for decades, until it was recently found in rather good condition, complete with a psychedelic paint job. The car was last seen at the Cosmic Car Show in 1970.
The auction will be held on Friday, November 6th; for more information, visit Michaan’s Auctions official website.
[Photos via www.gratefuldeadtruck.com]