Paul McCartney’s 1965 Mini Cooper S DeVille and John Lennon’s 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300 estate for sale

Beatles fans will have the chance to get their hands on cars formerly owned by Paul McCartney and John Lennon next month as the pair will be auctioned to the highest bidder at a sale in the US.

The 1965 Mini Cooper S DeVille originally owned by McCartney is the headline act, though an equally retro-cool 1979 Mercedes E 300 estate first used by Lennon is also likely to be sold for a rock’n’roll fee when the duo go under the hammer on  1 September 2018.

If recent form is anything to go by, they’ll be subject of massive demand.

At the end of last year, an Aston Martin that first belonged to Paul McCartney sold at a London auction for just over £1.3million, while Ringo Starr’s 1966 Mini Cooper S Radford was also bought for £102,300 – by former Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell.

The Paul McCartney Mini is one of four ordered for the band members by Beatles manager Brian Epstein during 1965.

Three of the models – including the Ringo Starr version sold to Geri Halliwell last year – were ordered from British coachbuilding company Harold Radford & Co, while the remaining Mini was delivered by Hooper.

McCartney’s Radford model being sold is about a luxurious as a Mini could get in the sixties.

Created at the car firm’s South Kensington base, it is a top-specification 1275cc S Cooper that today remains in original condition.

It’s finished in a fetching colour called ‘California Sage Green’ and even featured in the Beatles’ 1967 Magical Mystery Tour movie. 

Plenty of features make this piece of Beatles memorabilia stand out from the Mini crowd.

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

Inside, there’s a wood-trimmed Moto-Lita three-spoke steering wheel, rich woodgrain interior accents, luxuriously upgraded bucket seats, a central armrest and a replacement Smiths instrument cluster. 

According to the documented history, it was exported to the United States during the 1970s once Paul McCartney had parted ways with the diminutive car.

Reports claim the car was often seen zooming through the Hollywood Hills with then-owner Bill Victor, before being sold to Briton Michael Fisher, who was a resident in Miami, Florida.

It was cosmetically restored in 2001 before being sold a year later to the current vendor.

Since then it’s been on display at the Sarasota Classic Car Museum and, on occasion, driven to Florida car shows and concours events. 

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. 

There’s no estimated sale figure for the car, but expect it to at least match what Halliwell paid for the Ringo Starr Mini in December.

Incidentally, George Harrison’s Mini is still owned by his wife, while John Lennon’s bespoke Cooper S’s whereabouts remains unknown.

John Lennon’s 1979 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Estate 

Also being sold without reserve is the 1979 Mercedes-Benz E 300TD estate, which happens to be the last car ever used by musical and cultural icon John Lennon. 

Apparently the practical Mercedes was ordered at Yoko Ono’s request by John Lennon’s personal assistant, Fredric Seaman in late 1978. 

Mr Seaman’s book ‘The Last Days of John Lennon’ includes several references to Lennon’s use of this vehicle to move equipment and transport his guitars to recording studios. 

The book also suggests that the master tapes of his last album ‘Double Fantasy’ were loaded and taken to The Record Plant from The Hit Factory in this E-Class estate and was in his ownership when Lennon was murdered on 8 December 1980.

Again, there’s no indication of what fee might be paid for this piece of Beatles history, which was formerly on long-term display at the Legends Museum in Nashville until 1997. 

The car also featured on the History Channel’s ‘Lost and Found’ show, where it was identified as having a respray and upgraded wheels. 

Both cars will be sold at the Worldwide Auctioneers Auburn Auction on 1 September.