Jello Biafra Is Auctioning Off His 1989 Toyota Celica as a Fundraiser for Record Label Alternative Tentacles
Dec 17, 2025
If you can’t spend your holidays in Cambodia, maybe consider spending your money on the 1989 Toyota Celica GT Convertible that ex-Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra has been driving for the last 30 years, as it is up for auction.Maybe you were highly influenced by the seminal punk rock band the D
ead Kennedys in the early- to mid-1980s, or maybe you’ve seen that band’s notorious vocalist Jello Biafra take the stage at Mosswood Meltdown events or some other aging punk meetups. Either way, if you understand the legacy of Jello Biafra, you may be intrigued by the fact that he is currently auctioning off his (very) used 1989 Toyota Celica that he’s been driving around for the last 30 years, as the Bay Area News Group reports. “Owned and driven by music legend Jello Biafra since 1995, this 1989 Toyota Celica GT Convertible has impeccable punk rock credentials,” according to the car’s auction listing. “As Jello’s daily driver for decades, this T160-generation shows over 212,000 miles on its odometer. ‘Displaying its battle scars proudly,’ the sporty convertible ‘runs, rides, starts and stops top notch,’ according to a friend assisting Jello with the auction listing.”The listing adds that “The car has been maintained with ‘no expenses spared’ to assure reliable transportation for Jello. Aesthetics were ‘left to accumulate a natural punk rock patina that can only be gained on the streets of the San Francisco Bay Area.’” Image via HemmingsThis is that car, and as of press time for this article, the top bid is currently $13,165 for this 36-year-old automobile with more than 200,000 miles on it. But this is all for a good cause, or at least, what punks who’ve been offered AARP cards would consider a good cause. Biafra says that all money from the sale of this car is "going to my long-running but always struggling record label Alternative Tentacles to raise more money to manufacture more of our back catalog that people can’t get anymore.”
If you want to see Jello Biafra as a used car salesman, the video above is exactly what you are looking for. “It’s got a stereo in it that’s got radio and cassette and CD,” Biafra boasts. “It’s not a beautiful car, it’s got dings and whatever else, it’s a punk rock car.” Image via HemmingsYes, this is an image of the car’s interior as it currently exists. The listing says that the vehicle’s upholstery “will need more safety pins than a punk vest to keep it together.” The listing adds that “Only one speaker remains operational.”But you are not paying for a good quality user car here, you are paying for the chance to own a piece of American punk rock history. The listing adds that “the winning bidder will have the option of taking delivery of their new piece of punk rock history in the San Francisco Bay Area where Jello will take them for a cruise around some of his favorite historic sites."The auction bidding on Jello Biafra’s old car continues until this Saturday, December 20, at 2:30 pm PT. Related: Legendary North Beach Punk Venue Mabuhay Gardens Could Possibly Reopen [SFist]Image: Jello Biafra via Facebook
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