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Mini Cooper S and Mercedes E 300 estate owned by The Beatles up for sale

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August 15, 2018
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The Beatles hitmakers John Lennon and Paul McCartney penned pop classics such as Baby You Can Drive My Car and that’s exactly what you can do as two of their old vehicles are coming up for sale next month.

Going under the hammer are Macca’s 1965 Mini Cooper S DeVille and the rather more-practical 1979 Mercedes E 300 estate once owned by Lennon and bought at the behest of his then-wife Yoko Ono.

Like the owners, the two classic cars contrast greatly, but a drive in either could provide a marvellous Magical Mystery Tour in The Beatles style.

Four Minis were ordered for The Beatles

Macca’s Mini is one of four ordered for the Fab Four  – McCartney, Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison – by The Beatles svengali manager Brian Epstein in 1965.

Three were ordered from British coachbuilding company Harold Radford & Co, while the remaining Mini was supplied by Hooper.

McCartney’s Radford is a top-spec 1275cc S Cooper in original condition and finished in ‘California Sage Green’. So loved was it by McCartney that the car featured in The Beatles’ 1967 Magical Mystery Tour movie.

It has a pair of additional headlamps mounted within the grille, sliding sunroof and Aston Martin taillights.

It will be sold without reserve along with the vehicle’s full documented history and images of the vehicle during McCartney’s ownership, including photographs of Paul driving future wife and Wings bandmate, Linda Eastman.

The Beatles

John Lennon’s 1979 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Estate

Also being sold without reserve is Lennon’s Merc – the last car he ever used and still owned when he was assassinated in December 1980.

The auction sale notes confirm: “This 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD Estate Wagon is particularly fascinating and well-documented as the last automobile ever used by musical and cultural icon John Lennon of The Beatles.

“Ordered at Yoko Ono’s request by John Lennon’s personal assistant, Fredric Seaman in late 1978. Mr Seaman, who wrote the book ‘The Last Days of John Lennon’, made several references in this intimate memoir to Mr Lennon’s use of this specific car as his personal transportation and to move his equipment and transport his guitars to the recording studios including The Hit Factory and The Record Plant.

“Even the master tapes of his last album, ‘Double Fantasy’ were loaded and taken to The Record Plant from The Hit Factory in the car.

“When John Lennon was shockingly murdered at the Dakota, where he and his family resided, this car was parked in the building’s garage.”

The Beatles

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

If you were swept up by Beatlemania and fancy a Ticket to Ride, both cars will be sold at the Worldwide Auctioneers Auburn Auction in the USA on September 1.

As The Beatles enquired, Do You Want to Know a Secret? If you own a classic car with the pedigree of Macca’s Mini or Lennon’s Mercedes, Adrian Flux will have a classic car insurance policy that will provide the complete protection it deserves.

And you won’t have to spend a Hard Day’s Night ringing round to compare prices and cover because Adrian Flux can Help.  We Can Work it Out with a panel of more than 40 insurance providers to consult when finding the best insurance deal for you and your classic car.

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