Where is John Lennon's Mini?

General Chat with an emphasis on BMC Minis & Other iconic cars of the 1960's.
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66Traveller
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by 66Traveller »

Yup,

They just stuck out (even with 145 tyres) - the 4.5J version with the correct offset wasn't available at the time I think?
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by mab01uk »

Beatles' iconic Mini Coopers reunited in London:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvGRQ8HytBM

Video by ASSOCIATED PRESS
London, UK - 24 February 2023
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by DougR »

Hi folks, I'm just picking up this thread. In 1977 I was tootling around in my 68 mk2 Cooper and I always wanted an S. I was a poor student. I responded to an ad in the paper. (remember them?). It was a dark evening in Malahide and in a back yard was this black mk1 S that had had an engine fire. It had wind up windows and fly windows and huge seats like from a Jag. The guy said it was John Lennons car. He was looking for mad money so I didn't go for it. I have since heard that the same car is here in Dublin somewhere having been restored. Hope this helps. Doug.
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by Pete »

DougR wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2023 11:57 pm Hi folks, I'm just picking up this thread. In 1977 I was tootling around in my 68 mk2 Cooper and I always wanted an S. I was a poor student. I responded to an ad in the paper. (remember them?). It was a dark evening in Malahide and in a back yard was this black mk1 S that had had an engine fire. It had wind up windows and fly windows and huge seats like from a Jag. The guy said it was John Lennons car. He was looking for mad money so I didn't go for it. I have since heard that the same car is here in Dublin somewhere having been restored. Hope this helps. Doug.
And he’ll be the dozenth person to claim he’s got the Lennon Mini, which was a hatchback, something most claimants haven’t been aware of!
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by DougR »

@pete I just did more research with the mini guru here in Dublin and what I said was nonsense. Apparently the car ended up in Germany.
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by mab01uk »

The Beatles - Now And Then (Official Music Video)
"Now and Then's eventful journey to fruition took place over five decades and is the product of conversations and collaborations between the four Beatles that go on to this day. The long mythologised John Lennon demo was first worked on in February 1995 by Paul, George and Ringo as part of The Beatles Anthology project but it remained unfinished, partly because of the impossible technological challenges involved in working with the vocal John had recorded on tape in the 1970s. For years it looked like the song could never be completed. But in 2022 there was a stroke of serendipity. A software system developed by Peter Jackson and his team, used throughout the production of the documentary series Get Back, finally opened the way for the uncoupling of John’s vocal from his piano part. As a result, the original recording could be brought to life and worked on anew with contributions from all four Beatles. This remarkable story of musical archaeology reflects The Beatles’ endless creative curiosity and shared fascination with technology. It marks the completion of the last recording that John, Paul and George and Ringo will get to make together and celebrates the legacy of the foremost and most influential band in popular music history."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opxhh9Oh3rg
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by mk1 »

This remarkable story of musical archaeology reflects The Beatles’ endless creative curiosity and shared fascination with technology.

Oh, does it.

I thought it was just a case of shamelessly cashing in on stuff that went onto the cutting room floor years ago because it didn't make the grade.

"The Beatles" haven't recorded ANY "new material" since 1970 & to suggest that they have done so after 2 of the members are dead, one for over 40 years is frankly ridiculous!
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by mab01uk »

mk1 wrote: Mon Nov 06, 2023 9:05 am This remarkable story of musical archaeology reflects The Beatles’ endless creative curiosity and shared fascination with technology.

Oh, does it.

I thought it was just a case of shamelessly cashing in on stuff that went onto the cutting room floor years ago because it didn't make the grade.

"The Beatles" haven't recorded ANY "new material" since 1970 & to suggest that they have done so after 2 of the members are dead, one for over 40 years is frankly ridiculous!
Well the Rolling Stones who have also released 'Hackney Diamonds', only have 2 original band members, 2 of their members are dead, one for over 50 years and one retired from the band back in 1992... :lol:

But the Beatles and the Rolling Stones music has stood the test of time over several generations...even their stuff from the 'cutting room' floor...and I don't think any of them are in need of shamelessly cashing in. Not sure if/how bands 'cash in' these days, as I seem to be able to play most newly released tracks on you tube, etc without paying for a download or buying a CD, cassete or vinyl record like we did in the 'old days'. It seems the majority of an artist's revenue comes from touring these days unlike in the past when it was record sales. Keith Richards has confirmed that The Rolling Stones are planning to hit the road in 2024 in support of their first album of original material in 18 years and meanwhile Paul McCartney is currently touring Australia.
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by mk1 »

Each to their own, but the Beatles split up in 1970 & never worked together again. Whereas the Stones, all be it with some different members have a continuous history. If Lennon & McCartney had worked together consistently since the 60's, I wouldn't be making the original point that I did.

I like all the Beatles original albums, but all 3 cash in singles released since the 90's have in my opinion been very poor & not up to the high standard of the stuff released in period.
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by Pandora »

£17.99 for a 7" single.

Eighteen Quid!!!!?????!!!!!

aye right!

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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by Costafortune »

The new 'Beatles' track would have been regarded as pure filler had it actually been recorded when they were a group. That was was 53 years ago btw.

The Stones still exist, and certainly the two key songwriters. Hackney Diamonds has already pretty much been lauded as a classic album - it really is very good. As well as Old Bill, it also has McCartney playing bass on one track.
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by WMU 211G »

Costafortune wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 8:37 am The new 'Beatles' track would have been regarded as pure filler had it actually been recorded when they were a group. That was was 53 years ago btw.

The Stones still exist, and certainly the two key songwriters. Hackney Diamonds has already pretty much been lauded as a classic album - it really is very good. As well as Old Bill, it also has McCartney playing bass on one track.
They played on each other's records several times back in the'60s, despite the press making them out to be 'enemies' - in '67 John and Paul invited Brian Jones to a session at Abbey Road expecting him to bring along one of his guitars, instead, he brought a saxophone so they recorded him playing it on a throw away song they were working on at the time called 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)' which ended up as the b-side to the 'Let It Be' single three years later. That same year Mick and Keith added backing vocals to 'All You Need Is Love' at Abbey Road (you can easily picture John, Paul and George's Radfords, Ringo's Hooper hatchback and Mick's W&P S all sitting in the car park that day ;) ). A few weeks later John and Paul went down to Olympic studios in Barnes to add backing vocals to the Stones' new single 'We Love You'.

In the Summer of '68 John and Paul invited various folk to listen to a preview of 'Hey Jude' in a club in Tottenham Court Road, Jagger arrived with Marianne Faithful in his Aston DB6, later that evening John borrowed the Aston and almost wrote it off, he was an awful driver!
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by hanlminiman »

The topic is "where is John Lennon's Mini?" Not what the Beatles latest album is (-2 plus royalties). Maybe a replica is being built with a hatchback as i write. :lol:
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by Costafortune »

WMU 211G wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 7:10 pm
Costafortune wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 8:37 am The new 'Beatles' track would have been regarded as pure filler had it actually been recorded when they were a group. That was was 53 years ago btw.

The Stones still exist, and certainly the two key songwriters. Hackney Diamonds has already pretty much been lauded as a classic album - it really is very good. As well as Old Bill, it also has McCartney playing bass on one track.
They played on each other's records several times back in the'60s, despite the press making them out to be 'enemies' - in '67 John and Paul invited Brian Jones to a session at Abbey Road expecting him to bring along one of his guitars, instead, he brought a saxophone so they recorded him playing it on a throw away song they were working on at the time called 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)' which ended up as the b-side to the 'Let It Be' single three years later. That same year Mick and Keith added backing vocals to 'All You Need Is Love' at Abbey Road (you can easily picture John, Paul and George's Radfords, Ringo's Hooper hatchback and Mick's W&P S all sitting in the car park that day ;) ). A few weeks later John and Paul went down to Olympic studios in Barnes to add backing vocals to the Stones' new single 'We Love You'.

In the Summer of '68 John and Paul invited various folk to listen to a preview of 'Hey Jude' in a club in Tottenham Court Road, Jagger arrived with Marianne Faithful in his Aston DB6, later that evening John borrowed the Aston and almost wrote it off, he was an awful driver!

8-)

Also: John Lennon performed 'Yer Blues' from the White Album on the Stones Rock and Roll Circus - Keith on Bass, Clapton on electric guitar and Mitch Mitchell on drums.

The Who were the stand out group iirc though.
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by mab01uk »

Costafortune wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2023 8:52 pm Also: John Lennon performed 'Yer Blues' from the White Album on the Stones Rock and Roll Circus - Keith on Bass, Clapton on electric guitar and Mitch Mitchell on drums.
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (1968).
John Lennon performs 'Yer Blues' at 23m.30s :-
https://vimeo.com/614942917

(The Rock and Roll Circus is also often shown on the Sky Arts TV channel)
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by mab01uk »

Some interesting old footage recently shown on TPTV channel 'The Footage Detectives' which belongs to the step-son of Les Anthony, the former Welsh Guardsman who was hired as chauffeur for the Beatles and drove John Lennon's psychedelic Rolls Royce and lived on John & Yoko's Tittenhurst Park estate, from Nov 69 to Nov '71.
The screenshot below is from the footage (@44mins) and is thought to be at coachbuilders J.P. Fallon Ltd in Chertsey, Surrey where in 1967 the Rolls was painted....and shows an interesting Mini in the background that appears to have the horizontal VW Beetle rear lights as seen on George Harrison's and Ringo's Radford Minis. The actual film in TPTV link below is a bit clearer than my 'paused' screenshot from the TV.

The Footage Detectives - Episode 83:-
https://www.tptvencore.co.uk/Video/The- ... 30c8dc5d8c

Image

Image
FJB 111C - "John had taken the Rolls with him to Spain and Germany whilst filming 'How I Won The War' the previous autumn and the journey had taken its toll on the vehicle. In early April 1967, John asked J.P. Fallon Ltd., a coachbuilder in Chertsey, Surrey, about repainting the car."
Last edited by mab01uk on Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by Pete »

Interesting! I wonder if Fallon painted some of George’s?
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by WMU 211G »

Lennon's car collection...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MCDSye7Sfk

(I don't think the Austin Maxi was his car, I think it was hired for the trip to Scotland)
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by coopersean »

Is there a non Radford John Lennon mini he passed his test in in 1965?
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Re: Where is John Lennon's Mini?

Post by mab01uk »

Most photos show John Lennon in this Triumph Herald below owned by George Martin on the day of his driving test...but the drivers door of the Mini behind Lennon in the photo above is open, as if he has just got out the Mini to be handed his test pass certificate by the examiner.

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