Mini Cooper S: The Beatles' George Harrison

Motoring Channel Staff - 15/May/2009

Sydney, Australia – It was in 1966 that The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein handed each of the four band members keys to a Mini Cooper S as a thank you for making them rich and famous beyond belief.

Lead guitarist George Harrison saw the mid '60s Mini Cooper S as a canvas and proceeded to paint his car with various psychedelic images, including yantras and Sanskrit mantras and shiny gold wheels. 

The car went on to be a movie star, appearing the The Beatles’ film Magical Mystery Tour and was probably involved in many adventures throughout its history.

In celebration of the one-off Mini, the new company has created a modern-day replica of the vehicle, an homage to the Harrison'spsychedelic '66 Mini.

"George was a huge Mini fan and he would have enjoyed creating this new version," says Olivia Harrison, George's wife.

"The fact that Mini's anniversary celebrations will also benefit our Foundation has made it an enjoyable as well as meaningful collaboration," adds Olivia Harrison, who will be handed the one-off model at the Mini United event in the UK for auction.

The proceeds of the sale of the bold vehicle will benefit the Material World Charitable Foundation, a charity set up by George Harrison in 1973. 

Unlike the 1966 Mini Cooper S, which was powered by a compact 1.3-litre 4-cylinder engine that output 57kW of power, the modern day Cooper S delivers 128kW from its 1.6-litre turbo engine (see table below for comparisons between the 2009 and the 1966 Mini Cooper S models).

The vehicle was commissioned for the Mini United event, which is the world's largest gathering of Mini owners.

The event takes place at Silverstone in the UK between the 22nd and 24th of May 2009.

The Mini United event is a global gathering celebrating the car's 50th anniversary.

Mini says the festival 'delivers three days of non-stop entertainment for the brand’s large fan community' and 'is all about concerts, shows, car races etc' and will be the ideal place to unveil the new Mini inspired by George Harrison.

There will also be celebrations in Australia, with Mini AUnited 2009 taking place on Sunday May 24, 2009, in Sydney. 

Mini fanatics and owners of modern and classic vehicles will be meeting at Harold Park Raceway and should check out MiniAUnited.com.au for more details.

Related Links:
- Mini Cooper Cabrio (2009)
- Mini E (2009)
- Mini Crossover Concept (2008)
- Mini John Cooper Works (2008)
- Mini Clubman (2008)
- New Mini (2007)
- Mini Concept Tokyo (concept)
- Mini Concept Frankfurt (concept)
- Mini Cooper Cabrio (2005)