Paul McCartney's iconic Wings Over Europe tour bus could fetch £200,000 at auction - 'Incredibly special'

When embarking on his historic Wings Over Europe Tour, McCartney, his family and his band lived in the tour bus over the summer of 1972.

The open-topped, double-decker travelled over 7,500 miles during the tour and has been meticulously restored to its original style which took inspiration from the Beatles' Yellow Submarine album cover.

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The Wings tour covered nine countries and 25 different cities as McCartney looked to follow the success after the much-maligned split of The Beatles in 1970.

Car and Classic, who will be hosting the auction, expect the iconic tour bus to sell for between £150,000 and £200,000, with drivers being able to submit pre-bids already.

It has also been suggested that the tour bus could have been the place where McCartney penned one of the most famous James Bond themes of all time - Live and Let Die.

The vehicle was first built in 1953 and used as part of regular bus services in Essex before being rented, painted and made famous by Wings in 1972.

Speaking at the time, McCartney said WNO 481 was the perfect vehicle for their tour, adding: "If we’re gonna (sic) be in Europe in the summer going to places like the south of France it’s just silly to be in some little box all day gasping for air so we came up with this idea to have an open deck, upper deck kind of thing.

"We’ve got some mattresses up there so we can just cruise along, fantastic, it’s great, just lie around and get the sun."

The bus has been restored to reflect what the vehicle would have been like at the time, complete with wooden bed frames for the children of the band members and a psychedelic paint scheme.

The upper deck of the bus also displays graphics from the 1972 Wings tour, which drew inspiration from the Beatles Rooftop Concert three years prior.

McCartney would likely have taken the bus to the United States and Japan for the non-Europe legs of the tour, although plans were hampered after Swedish police found the band were regularly using cannabis on the bus.

Dale Vinten, head of editorial at Car and Classic, said: “Just as [John] Lennon’s Rolls-Royce and the notable cars of other Beatles members carry the weight of history, tour buses tell a different story, and bear witness to the behind-the-scenes magic that fuels the onstage brilliance.

"This essence is perfectly encapsulated in the Wings tour bus, still adorned in its psychedelic colours, and restored to how it would’ve been when the McCartneys and the rest of the band toured Europe over the summer of ’72.

"Let’s also not forget that out of all the other Beatles cars, this vehicle is one that can actually be owned, driven and enjoyed, too! It’s easy to imagine this eye-catching bus drawing the crowds anywhere it went, whether it be a trip into 'London Town' or to the 'Heart of the Country', its arrival with us at auction means it’s now time for the bus to find its next home – with a little luck ending up with a true fan who will appreciate the history and rarity of this incredibly special double-decker."

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This follows the sale of a Ferrari Dino GTS once owned by Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant, which was auctioned off by Car and Classic in February for a staggering £300,000.

Having originally paid just £6,620.39 for the classic, the Ferrari was just one of 235 right-hand drive cars produced by the brand between 1972 and 1974.