ROCK STARS' CARS COMING TO KINGS CROSS
Motors once owned by The Beatles and Led Zeppelin will be on display at London's Classic Car Boot Sale
Classic cars once owned by the world's most famous musicians will be on display in Kings Cross later this month, with fans able to catch a glimpse of Ringo Starr's Rolls Royce, Led Zeppelin's Range Rover and replicas of elaborately painted MINIs owned by George Harrison and John Lennon.
The annual Classic Car Boot Sale in Coal Drops Yard, co-founded by designer Wayne Hemingway, will this year coincide with the 60th birthday of iconic car, the MINI Cooper S. The brand have teamed up with the event to create a celebration of the Swinging Sixties with their own display of the pocket rocket motors.
Harrison's Mini (above) was one of four bought by manager Brian Epstein for his band members. Originally a metallic black motor, Harrison's was hand-painted in a colourful display of psychedelic designs for use in the Beatles movie, Magical Mystery Tour, released in 1967. While bandmate John Lennon later upped the ante with a psychedelic Rolls Royce, Harrison gifted his MINI to Eric Clapton, before asking for it back at some point in the 1970s.
It might not be as famous as Lennon's ostentatious motor (below), but it does hold a special place in Beatles history. George, John and their partners Cynthia and Patti drove to a party at their friend's house in the car, before being inadvertently slipped their first ever tab of LSD. The story goes that George drove them all the way home in the MINI at 10mph because he had no idea what was happening. And as The Beatles moved into a new era of psychedelics, their trusty automobile came with them - complete with a fitting new paint job.
Not to be outdone, George and John's bandmate Ringo Starr was also a fan of flashy motors, and his Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 3 will be on display. There's plenty of history in that motor, too: It's the car in which he arrived at Buckingham Palace to pick up his MBE in 1965.
For those of a rock 'n' roll persuasion, there's a fittingly industrial Range Rover that once belonged to the hardest rockers of the 60s - Led Zeppelin. It wasn't until much later that the band splashed out on the 1979/80 two door off-roader pictured below under lead singer Robert Plant.
Once you've gawped at the wheels of the rich and famous, there's plenty more to do at the Classic Car Boot Fair. A whole range of other, less-famous (but no less impressive) pre-90s cars will be on display as well as a selection of MINI Coopers from across the ages.
Food and drink stalls will be dotted all over Lewis Cubitt Square, plus there'll be music from Ronnie and the Ripchords and the aptly named Car Boot Sale Band, plus a ska set from London band The Estimators.
DJs are involved, too, with some of London's finest tune-spinners taking to the decks atop a Routemaster Bus Bar on Granary Square.
A Repair Fair offers free tips and tricks to up cycling or fixing your own beloved garments, while the Charity Super.Mkt offers the chance to buy the best vintage items from charities including All Aboard, Shelter, Cancer Research, Spitalfields Crypt Trust, Vision Foundation and St Joseph’s Hospice.
Classic Car Boot Sale, 10am-6pm, 30th September - 1st October
Entry £6 in advance, £7 on the door. Kids under 12 go free and dogs welcome
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