Where is John Lennon's Mini?

[Pete]

People did all sorts to their Minis back then, frowned upon today of course. Look what George did to his Radford!

The glass in the colour screen grab still looks tinted to me, the number plates must have been new and is it gold over the green, yellow or cream?

[Pandora]

New doors? It's got quarterlights in the bottom photo, but not the top

Al

[hanlminiman]

Hi Al
I've quickly lightened up the shadows in the image and think I can just see the handle of the quarterlight.
Cliff

[InnoCooperExport]

Not to mention if you look at the first picture in the sequence there it doesn't look like it has quarterlights either until you get to the picture showing him getting out the car. I think the resolution and the heavy tinting of the windows don't help.

[nick@dunsdale]

on the black and white image
Do you think the sunroof is black fabric ?? looks something other than black unless it is just angle of light reflection ?

Definitely black fabric on the Green car shot

[mk1]

Something that has puzzled me for a while is the use of RW10's on Cooper S's. How did they get them to fit? I can't see the S brakes being replaced by Cooper ones purely for aesthetics.

Any one have an amswer?

[Pete]

Yes they didn’t fit, they stuck out on pretty much all of those mid 60s Radford Ss. The S version didn’t come out til mid 66 to my knowledge.

[WMU 211G]

The burning question now is, if it's last known change of ownership was in August 2008, where is it now....?

Here it is tucked at the back of John's garage in Weybridge sometime in '66 when it was still black, can't tell if it was a hatchback at the time from this photo....

FABS DSCFA LGF 696D & Roller #1.jpg

[66Traveller]

Interesting that on its repaint, John's car got the modern and fashionable reflective number plates!

[Pete]

That’s the only other photo of the back of it that’s turned up and it’s too low res to make out but there is a hint of a line for the hatch on the left and you can just make out the Aston lights. Most people I’ve ever spoken to about this over the last thirty years or so think the logbook is all that survives. But yes what did happen to it??

[WMU 211G]

It's a mystery we should keep chasing Pete!

In other Beatle related trivia, it's fifty one years ago today since Paul announced he was leaving, but what very few people outside the group's entourage knew at the time was that John had told the other three he was leaving back in September '69....

1970 daily-mirror-paul-quits-the-beatles_01-438x580.jpg

[1ely]

The burning question now is, if it's last known change of ownership was in August 2008, where is it now....?

Well the reg is on Mr Nolans car, and I think he got the reg back because he has the chassis number, so if that is the car its lost its hatch, aston rear lights etc. The only thing I can see on that car that looks similar to the lennon min is the quarter lights!

[1ely]

Just to be clear I am not saying it isnt the lennon car, just appears to have lost a lot of its original features!

[Pandora]

In light of the unfortunate previous experiences of several members of this friendly forum (myself included), can I ask that everyone remains (as 1ely has) polite, factual and avoids any rude or detrimental comments on any particular cars or owners.

Cheers,

Al

[hanlminiman]

Lockdown has given me time to review my "memorobilia collection". Yesterday I was reading a MCR magazine from 2003 which included a letter from a member suggesting that the Lennon Mini was a Radford hatchback. I then went back and compared the Rolls/Mini image with the green/cream image and think that the lighter flash under the middle 6 in the number plate is the hatchback handle. As the car was registered in 1966 it is quite possible that it was an early hatchback conversion. Be interested in your views. As I have said before the Pandemic has given us all time to review our collections. Can't wait for the charity shops to open!
Will it be the glorious 12th tomorrow? Prompted by the cartoon of Prince Philip (RIP) in the Guardian yesterday.

[Old English White]

John Mini pics from the good old days!

According to this website, Lennon,s Min, was a Hatch = http://www.radfordmini.free-online.co.uk/films.htm

Quote =

" 28th August 1967 - John Lennon arrives at the Apple Studios in his Radford Mini de Ville hatchback,
after hearing of the death of the Beatles manager Brian Epstein"

this post from 2013 also suggested that the car was a hatchback.

[Pete]

It has been suggested before, but never proved publicly before this photo.

[Pandora]

It's amazing to think, given how much in the media spotlight the Beatles lived, that photos of the back of the car are so elusive, but then, there are probably a fair few lurking in Grandma's photo album, from when she spotted a Beatle and took a snap with her box brownie, and they'll never see the light of day.

It's also a fact that people generally take photos of cars from the front, which doesn't help - it took me YEARS to find a photo that showed a bit of the back of Pandora - even the guys they built it didn't have any!

Al

[mk1]

"Just to be clear I am not saying it isnt the lennon car, just appears to have lost a lot of its original features!"

Nicely put

[mab01uk]

It's amazing to think, given how much in the media spotlight the Beatles lived, that photos of the back of the car are so elusive, but then, there are probably a fair few lurking in Grandma's photo album, from when she spotted a Beatle and took a snap with her box brownie, and they'll never see the light of day.

It's also a fact that people generally take photos of cars from the front, which doesn't help - it took me YEARS to find a photo that showed a bit of the back of Pandora - even the guys they built it didn't have any!

Al

Also I think not helped by the often mentioned fact that John was not a keen driver and rarely drove himself so, unlike the other Beatles, there were far less occasions for the media to take a photo of him with or behind the wheel of his Radford Mini.

John Lennon passes his driving test
"Prior to the first recording session for Help! that afternoon, John Lennon passed his driving test in Weybridge, the town where he lived at the time.
Lennon was a notoriously bad driver, and rarely drove himself after passing his test. The other Beatles had learnt to drive previously, and were keen drivers, but Lennon’s confidence was knocked after crashing his car shortly after this date.
He was normally chauffeured to recording sessions and appointments by his driver, Les Anthony, and on the occasions when Lennon did drive, he was often inattentive to other cars and navigated roads poorly."
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1965/02/15 ... ving-test/

John Lennon crashes his car in Scotland (Austin Maxi)
https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/07/01 ... -scotland/
The Lennons and their Maxi
https://www.aronline.co.uk/news/news-ne ... xi-emerge/