Wings tour bus from 1972 goes under the hammer

In 1972, Paul McCartney toured Europe with his Wings in a two-story tour bus. Now the restored vehicle is being auctioned off. To mark its 20th anniversary, California auction house Julien’s Auctions is seeking a buyer for the bus from November 16-18 as part of its “Played, Worn & Torn: Rock ‘n’ Roll Iconic Guitars and Memorabilia” exhibition.

Paul McCartney and his wife Linda McCartney purchased the van, later known as WNO 481, in 1972. The couple used the Bristol KSW double-decker bus (built in 1953) for their band’s first major tour after the breakup of the Beatles founded. Together with band members Denny Laine, Henry McCullough and Denny Seiwell, they traveled across the continent on their “Wings Over Europe” tour.

The bus’ colorful design was designed by Geoffrey Cleghorn, who has worked for bands such as the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and The Who. The artist created the psychedelic motifs based on the Beatles album cover of “Yellow Submarine”. The van was also equipped with mattresses, seat cushions and blankets and included a playpen on the open deck for the musicians’ children.

In addition to the tour bus, more than 1,000 other artifacts will be auctioned – including Eric Clapton’s “The Fool” guitar, Kurt Cobain’s “Sky Stang I” guitar and items from Elvis Presley, Prince and the Beatles, among others.