Where is John Lennon's Mini?

[mab01uk]

John Lennon’s 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL up for auction
Worldwide Auctioneers confirmed that Beatle John Lennon’s personal 1965 Mercedes-Benz 230SL will go under the hammer at its Scottsdale sale on Wednesday, January 18th 2017. “We are thrilled to announce the addition of this historic motorcar to our Scottsdale lineup, once the personal property of one of the most influential and celebrated music icons on the planet,” said John Kruse, Principal at Worldwide. “The car was delivered new to John Lennon in London in 1965, as attested by the accompanying original title documentation, when The Beatles were riding the crest of a wave. This is a rare chance for a collector to make a once in a lifetime acquisition.” The car is presented for sale in excellent condition, finished in blue with right hand drive and with optional automatic transmission, as requested by Lennon himself.
http://www.worldwide-auctioneers.com/au ... D=61&id=57
http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/news/john- ... scottsdale

[mab01uk]

Swinging Sixties fashion sweeps the Revival as Beatlemania hits Goodwood!
"Beatlemania is going to hit Goodwood this September in a big way, as the Revival brings Swinging Sixties London to life in its inimitable style (September 13-15).
Rarely seen coachbuilt Mini Coopers once owned by Beatles Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr will be on display at the event, as part of a celebration of 60 years of the Mini. The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, bought each of the Fab Four a Mini at the height of their fame in 1966, and had them customised by coachbuilders Radford and Hooper to suit their individual requirements. For example, Ringo’s was a hatchback to accommodate his drum kit, while George’s was given a ‘Tantric’ colour scheme.
Unfortunately, the fourth car in the set – the Mini belonging to John Lennon – won’t be on show, because its whereabouts are unknown. Goodwood invites anyone who knows where it might be to come forward!
On display alongside the three Beatles’ cars will be Cilla Black’s Mini. Before she became the doyenne of Saturday night television, fellow Liverpudlian Cilla was good friends with the Fab Four, shared their manager, Brian Epstein, and was signed to the same record label, Parlophone. She also recorded her early records at Abbey Road Studios with producer George Martin, just like the Beatles, so it is entirely appropriate that her Mini should take the place of John’s missing car."
https://www.goodwood.com/media-centre/s ... goodwood2/

[66Traveller]

Posted elsewhere I know...

[66Traveller]

Meanwhile,

Interesting shot of the interior of George Harrison's Mini in the Radford workshop - it is now fitted with a late Moto-Lita steering wheel.

[66Traveller]

And a couple more of it - intersetingly it had Hills numberplates like Ringos and John's (but not Paul's which had ACE). Also corner bars beneath the bumper like John's...

[66Traveller]

And the outside at Radfords

[66Traveller]

Paul's

[UHR850]

Meanwhile,

Interesting shot of the interior of George Harrison's Mini in the Radford workshop - it is now fitted with a late Moto-Lita steering wheel.

Sorry to say but it's a Formula Speedwell steering wheel.
Or maybe you do mean it is at the present moment flitted
with a Moto Lita steering wheel.

Kees

[66Traveller]

That is exactly what I mean - it has the wrong steering wheel fitted now!

[UHR850]

It must be to difficult to change that?
This is the one in my collection, nos

Kees

[Pete]

The interior shot is one ive not seen before , good work James! . Date would be around Dec 65 / Jan 66!

[mab01uk]

Screenshots below are from the BBC documentary....
BBC iPlayer - Roy Orbison: In Dreams:-
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m ... -in-dreams

In the BBC documentary Roy Orbison and his wife Claudette are seen getting into an 'Austin Mini Cooper S' in 1963 during his UK tour with the Beatles.....however you may have noticed the Mini has a 1965 registration CBL 386C....which makes it more likely this was actually during his 1966 UK tour!







"As "In Dreams" was released in April 1963, Orbison was asked to replace Duane Eddy on a tour of the UK in top billing with the Beatles. When he arrived in Britain, however, he realized he was no longer the main draw. He had never heard of the Beatles, and annoyed, asked rhetorically, "What's a Beatle, anyway?" to which John Lennon replied, after tapping his shoulder, "I am". On the opening night, Orbison opted to go onstage first, although he was the more established act. The Beatles stood dumbfounded backstage as Orbison simply played through 14 encores. Finally, when the audience began chanting "We want Roy!" again, Lennon and Paul McCartney physically held Orbison back. Ringo Starr later said, "In Glasgow, we were all backstage listening to the tremendous applause he was getting. He was just standing there, not moving or anything." Through the tour, however, the two acts quickly learned to get along, a process made easier by the fact that the Beatles admired his work. Orbison felt a kinship with Lennon, but it was George Harrison with whom he would later form a strong friendship in 1988 as part of the Traveling Wilburys."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveling_Wilburys

[mk1]

Whatever happened to Erkey Grant

[Peter Laidler]

That's her, getting into the mini..... Or did they mean Eddie Grant?

[mab01uk]

Extracts below taken from the interesting book 'Imagine This' growing up with my brother John Lennon by Julia Baird:-
https://juliabaird.co.uk

Page 201/202
"John and Cynthia had just moved into 'Kenwood' when they took us to see George, who was living with Patti Boyd in nearby Esher. There weren't any sofas or chairs and we all sat on huge, embroidered cushions on the floor and had drinks and snacks. It was my first experience of a hippy house and I wanted a home just like theirs.
All four Beatles were now the proud owners of customised, black Mini Coopers, with darkened electric windows. Ringo's had been delivered with an outsize boot, to accommodate his drum kit. John hadn't yet passed his driving test, but still insisted on driving us to have a picnic by the Thames. John, Cynthia, Julian, Jackie and me. He drove right across the golf course in Weybridge, laughing. This time we didn't stop to collect golf balls to sell back to the golfers. The money problem had been resolved.
When we remonstrated with John, laughing, about driving on the greens, he said, 'I'm a Beatle. I can do anything.'
At that time, that was the feeling, everywhere.

Page 234/235
John went to Scotland to introduce Yoko to his family driving an Austin Maxi, and took Julian and Yoko's daughter Kyoko, both then six, with them.
A day or two later he crashed the car in Golspie in Scotland. He always was an appalling driver and he went off the road, landing himself and Yoko in hospital. The children were unhurt and John and Yoko weren't badly injured - a few stitches - but the car was a write-off.
By this time John and Yoko had bought Tittenhurst Park, an enormous mansion in Sunningdale, near Ascot, with 73 acres of land. The Maxi was taken back there and displayed on a plinth in the garden. Yoko said, 'It's a happening.' She had turned the accident into a piece of art. We couldn't understand why they had gone in the Maxi in the first place. He had a Rolls, a Porsche and a Ferrari.... I think the answer was that John wasn't comfortable driving powerful cars; he probably felt more at home in the Maxi.

[Jeroen Booij]

It's surprising how the rumours of Lennon's Mini's survival continue to come in.
Last week I was sent this:
"the mini exists i saw it yesterday its been modified yes its red with a soft top! the reg is right but without checking the vin !"

It was another anonymous message and I hardly think it can be taken serious.
But then again, I initially thought the same of the chap who contacted me anonymously about the Le Mans Mini Marcos.
That message was just another of many, but being so eager to find the car I did chase it up, and you know where it led to.

[SKIPPY68]

I went to Norfolk to pick some mini bits up off eBay and the guy showed me a red mini with white roof with pram Chrome detail with doors taken off due to the weight of the window mechanism .

The guy told me of the car belonged to Lennon but I wasn’t aloud to take pics just look ,
Funky white seat in back with button effect with white and red mood Lights in the back on each side .

If the story was true , who knows ..

Nice to see all the same

[Costafortune]

Legend has it that the Maxi was crushed - if fact that was Ringo's Merc that he comprehensively destroyed in a crash.

[mab01uk]

Quote from:-
Recollections Of Vehicle Recovery - National Rescue from a small coachworks covering the Kingston By Pass, to a multi branch group with depots in London, Surrey, Sussex, the Midlands and the West Country.
"Below we are cleaning up after Ringo Starr's little accident. Where he (and the lovely Barbara Bach) somersaulted over the A3 Robin Hood roundabout in his Mercedes. The car was later crushed and we believe ended up as a coffee table in his house (if you ever read this Mr. Starr I would love a picture of that to put here)."
http://www.vehiclerecovery.org/Recovery ... tions.html

[WMU 211G]

I went to Norfolk to pick some mini bits up off eBay and the guy showed me a red mini with white roof with pram Chrome detail with doors taken off due to the weight of the window mechanism .

The guy told me of the car belonged to Lennon but I wasn’t aloud to take pics just look ,
Funky white seat in back with button effect with white and red mood Lights in the back on each side .

If the story was true , who knows ..

Nice to see all the same

That'll be the same car I went to see at Bank Garage Minis back in 1999, he didn't seem to mind me taking pictures, it was quite an eyeful at the time! He gave me some guff about it being Lennon's car, he'd lost the V5 and that he went to school with Ringo which I took with a pinch of salt...

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