Ex-Beatle
Tour bus for McCartney’s band Wings auctioned off
The paintings on the tour bus are inspired by Beatles covers. photo
© Car & Classic/dpa
A bargain: The band Wings’ biplane was auctioned for 186,000 pounds. The paintings on the bus are inspired by Beatles covers.
An ex-Beatle once traveled in a brightly painted biplane Paul McCartney on tour with his new band Wings. Now the open-top tour bus has been auctioned for 186,000 pounds (217,650 euros), as the auction house Classic Cars Auctions confirmed upon request. It’s a piece of rock’n’roll history. The paintings on the vehicle’s exterior are inspired by the Beatles covers for “Yellow Submarine” and “Magical Mystery Tour,” according to a statement.
McCartney founded the Wings after the Beatles broke up and toured Europe with the band in 1972. “Wings Over Europe” with 25 concerts was considered a commercial and musical success. The band also performed in Munich, Frankfurt/Main, Düsseldorf and West Berlin.
The band also took their partners and children with them on the 12,000 kilometer journey. So that it was as comfortable as possible and the little ones had space to play, the interior of the tour bus was custom-made at the Wings’ request. The vehicle – built in 1953 – was renovated in 2022.
They knew the weather would be nice, McCartney once said in an interview. “However, the idea of being stuck on a bus all the time, going from city to city, hotel to hotel, wasn’t particularly appealing. So we decided to travel around in an open bus, getting from one place to another a bit on the way To soak up the sun.”