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Beatles Mini Coopers reunited after 55 years

George Harrison's customised Mini Cooper will be on display at The London Classic Car Show. Picture courtesy of the Harrison Family
George Harrison's customised Mini Cooper will be on display at The London Classic Car Show. Picture courtesy of the Harrison Family George Harrison's customised Mini Cooper will be on display at The London Classic Car Show. Picture courtesy of the Harrison Family

CAR-loving Beatles fans will be in their element later this month when three of the Fab Four's classic Mini Coopers will be reunited at the London Classic Car Show.

The event takes place from February 24 to 26 at the Olympia in Kensington and will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Mini Cooper S by displaying the cars owned by George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr (the fate of John Lennon's car remains unclear, though it is rumoured to have been scrapped long ago) for the first time since they were parked up together during the recording of the White Album in 1968.

Produced for The Beatles in 1966, these Mini Coopers were coach-built by London-based Harold Radford & Cobe and were bespoke to each Beatle's needs – for example, Ringo's car was equipped with a hatchback, an extremely rare option at the time, to better accommodate his drum kit.

Paul McCartney's 1275cc Cooper S received a number of upgrades from Radford, including a pair of additional driving lights mounted in the front grille, electric windows, a Webasto sunroof and Aston Martin DB5 rear lights to better match the car's Aston Martin California Sage Green paint.

George Harrison's Mini was originally ordered in black but later received a groovy flower-power makeover, as seen in The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour film, which it still retains today.

"We are beyond thrilled to announce our very special addition to The London Classic Car Show," enthused Martin Clarke, content director of the event.

"This truly is a once in a generation chance to see the last remaining Beatles Minis in all their glory – it's certainly not to be missed by motoring and music fans alike."

:: Tickets and full information at theclassiccarshowuk.com.