The actual double deck bus used by Paul McCartney and Wings for their 1972 tour is going to be auctioned.
The 1953 Bristol KSW double-decker bus is expected to earn between $200000 and $300000. The bus was purchased by Paul and Linda McCartney as their private tourbus.
The WNO 481 became their official home away from home and played a vital part in the image of Paul’s new band and sound fresh after coming off his storied career with The Beatles. The bus, painted with psychedelic artwork by renowned artist Geoffrey Cleghorn, known for his work with The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and The Who, modeled its design after the styling of The Beatles Yellow Submarine album cover to make its appearance on the road like a magic bus of love and peace. The open top bus was not a typical rock n’ roll tour vehicle as the tour was a family affair with the band members’ wives and children coming along for the musical adventure. A children’s playpen was installed on the open top deck of the bus as well as mattresses, beanbags and blankets for the band and their families to lie out in the sun during warm summer days. During the Wings’ 1972 tour, this bus traveled over 7,500 miles (12,000 kilometers) through nine countries across Europe that included France, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom with the band’s shows and appearances hotly pursued by the media and fans whose word of mouth and press coverage momentum made The Paul McCartney & Wings Over Europe Tour a smash success.
The interior of the bus has been restored with great detail to bring it back to the condition as it would have been on the 1972 tour. The refinished interior is complimented by wooden bunk beds, which the band member’s children would have slept on, and an original Wingstour trunk that was donated to the project by Denny Seiwell. Around the perimeter of the lower cabin are bright yellow curtains that accent the psychedelic’s paint scheme of the exterior. Also included is a custom-built cover for the upper deck that displays the graphics “1972 Wings Tour Bus” on the roof.
Prior to being used as the primary tour bus for the band in 1972, this bus began its service on November 3rd, 1953 for Eastern National. This 1953 Bristol KSW 5G ECW double-decker bus is equipped with a Gardner 5LW 7 liter diesel engine mated to a manual transmission. The bus was fully restored by a workshop in Thorpe le Soken, Essex, after being discovered in Spain in a state of decay. Its three year restoration was completed in November 2022 and unveiled at the vehicle’s 50th anniversary fete in front of 90,000 visitors at The Classic Motor Show at the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham, United Kingdom where legendary saxophonist, Howie Casey, who had previously played with the band Wings, performed.
JULIEN’S AUCTIONS PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS
London: Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus
Criterion Building,
225-229 Piccadilly
London W1J 9HR
Tuesday, October 17th – Sunday, October 22nd
Daily: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time
Free to the Public
New York: Hard Rock Cafe New York
1501 Broadway – Times Square
New York, New York 10036
Monday, November 6th – Saturday, November 11th
Daily: 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Free to the Public
Nashville: Hard Rock Cafe Nashville
100 Broadway
Nashville, TN, 37201
Monday, November 13th – Friday, November 17th
Daily: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Central Time
Free to the Public
JULIEN’S AUCTIONS LIVE AUCTION LOCATION
Hard Rock Cafe Nashville
100 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37201
LIVE AND ONLINE AUCTION
“Played, Worn, & Torn: Rock ‘N’ Roll Iconic Guitars And Memorabilia”
Thursday, November 16th
Session I : 7:00 p.m. Central Time (evening)
“Played, Worn, & Torn: Rock ‘N’ Roll Iconic Guitars And Memorabilia”
Friday, November 17th
Session II: 10:00 a.m. Central Time (day)
“Played, Worn, & Torn: Rock ‘N’ Roll Iconic Guitars And Memorabilia”
Saturday, November 18th
Session III: 10:00 a.m. Central Time (day)
REGISTER TO BID
Registration is required to bid in this online auction and can be done in person at the exhibition, or online before the sale at the JuliensAuctions.comRegistration page to bid by phone, proxy or in person, or online at JuliensLive.com to bid live online, or by calling (310) 836-1818. For inquiries, please email [email protected] or call 310-836-1818.
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