The double-decker bus Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda used for traveling in for their Wings tour in 1972 is being auctioned off next month, with bidding expected to reach as high as $300,000.
Julien’s Auctions is slated to auction off the bus – a 1953 Bristol KSW bus called WNO 481 – the English singer-songwriter, 81, rode with Linda and their former band Wings for their Wings Over Europe tour.
The Liverpool-born music icon’s one-time tour vehicle will be part of the auction house’s Played, Worn, & Torn: Rock ‘n’ Roll Iconic Guitars And Memorabilia auction set to commence November 16. Bidding on the bus starts at $50,000, with an expected sale price of $200,000-$300,000.
McCartney and his late wife Linda, who he was wed to from 1969 until her 1998 death of breast cancer at the age of 56, rode on the colorful bus during their Wings Over Europe in 1972.
The bus took the band through nine countries in Europe, spanning France, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Up for sale: The double-decker bus Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda used for traveling in for their Wings tour in 1972 is being auctioned off next month, with bidding expected to reach as high as $300,000
![McCartney and his late wife Linda, who he was wed to from 1969 until her 1998 death of breast cancer at the age of 56, rode on the colorful bus during their Wings Over Europe in 1972](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76365421-12613353-McCartney_and_his_late_wife_Linda_who_he_was_wed_to_from_1969_un-a-52_1696948206505.jpg)
McCartney and his late wife Linda, who he was wed to from 1969 until her 1998 death of breast cancer at the age of 56, rode on the colorful bus during their Wings Over Europe in 1972
McCartney spoke about the famed vehicle and its colorful exterior design in the 2002 book Wingspan: Paul McCartney’s Band on the Run.
‘We knew we were going to tour in Europe and that the weather would be nice,’ he said, ‘and the idea of being stuck in a bus all the time, going from city to city, hotel to hotel, wasn’t too appealing so we decided to travel around in an open-top bus and got some sunshine as we traveled from one place to another.’
The Band on the Run vocalist added, ‘We painted the outside psychedelic, like a magic bus. If you look at it very straight, very conventionally, it was quite a mad thing to do, to put a playpen on the top deck of the bus and put all the children in there while driving around Europe.
‘It was not what you’d expect from a normal band. But we weren’t a normal band.’
At the time, the band consisted of the famed couple as well as Denny Seiwell, Denny Laine and the late Henry McCullough.
McCartney said in the 2002 book that the double decker idea made sense so the musical ensemble could enjoy the idyllic seasonal weather while on the tour path.
‘If we are going to 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,’ he said. ‘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, lie around and get the sun.’
![Julien's Auctions is slated to auction off the bus - a 1953 Bristol KSW bus called WNO 481 - the English singer-songwriter rode with Linda and their former band Wings for their Wings Over Europe tour](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76364987-12613353-Julien_s_Auctions_is_slated_to_auction_off_the_bus_a_1953_Bristo-a-53_1696948206506.jpg)
Julien’s Auctions is slated to auction off the bus – a 1953 Bristol KSW bus called WNO 481 – the English singer-songwriter rode with Linda and their former band Wings for their Wings Over Europe tour
![The bus took the band through nine countries in Europe, spanning France , Germany , Belgium, Norway, Sweden , Finland , Denmark, Netherlands and the United Kingdom](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76364969-12613353-The_bus_took_the_band_through_nine_countries_in_Europe_spanning_-a-54_1696948206507.jpg)
The bus took the band through nine countries in Europe, spanning France , Germany , Belgium, Norway, Sweden , Finland , Denmark, Netherlands and the United Kingdom
![McCartney said in a 2002 book that the double decker idea made sense so the musical ensemble could enjoy the idyllic seasonal weather while on the tour path](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76364981-12613353-McCartney_said_in_a_2002_book_that_the_double_decker_idea_made_s-a-55_1696948206509.jpg)
McCartney said in a 2002 book that the double decker idea made sense so the musical ensemble could enjoy the idyllic seasonal weather while on the tour path
![At the time, the band consisted of the famed couple as well as Denny Seiwell, Denny Laine and the late Henry McCullough](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76364985-12613353-At_the_time_the_band_consisted_of_the_famed_couple_as_well_as_De-a-56_1696948206510.jpg)
At the time, the band consisted of the famed couple as well as Denny Seiwell, Denny Laine and the late Henry McCullough
![Bidding on the bus starts at $50,000, with an expected sale price of $200,000-$300,000](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76364979-12613353-Bidding_on_the_bus_starts_at_50_000_with_an_expected_sale_price_-a-57_1696948206650.jpg)
Bidding on the bus starts at $50,000, with an expected sale price of $200,000-$300,000
![The initial art on the side of the bus was done by famed artist Geoffrey Cleghorn, who created a design in the sprit of the cover for the classic 1968 album from The Beatles, Yellow Submarine, according to the auction house](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76364983-12613353-The_initial_art_on_the_side_of_the_bus_was_done_by_famed_artist_-a-61_1696948207098.jpg)
The initial art on the side of the bus was done by famed artist Geoffrey Cleghorn, who created a design in the sprit of the cover for the classic 1968 album from The Beatles, Yellow Submarine, according to the auction house
![During the restoration process, the original artwork from Cleghorn - whose work was also utilized by The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and The Who - was recreated](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76364967-12613353-During_the_restoration_process_the_original_artwork_from_Cleghor-a-58_1696948206653.jpg)
During the restoration process, the original artwork from Cleghorn – whose work was also utilized by The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and The Who – was recreated
![According to the auction house, 'The interior of the bus has been restored with painstaking detail to bring it back to the same condition it would have been in during the 1972 tour'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76364971-12613353-According_to_the_auction_house_The_interior_of_the_bus_has_been_-a-62_1696948207099.jpg)
According to the auction house, ‘The interior of the bus has been restored with painstaking detail to bring it back to the same condition it would have been in during the 1972 tour’
Seiwell told a website devoted to the vehicle, 1972 Wings Tour Bus that the bus was essential to promoting the image the band wanted.
‘We had wives and kids with us, and an image of the Beatles,’ he said. ‘Nobody wanted to be drunk or high.
‘We thought it was very important that we gave our best performances because we knew we were going to be judged based on the last time people saw the biggest band in the world.’
The initial art on the side of the bus was done by famed artist Geoffrey Cleghorn, who created a design in the sprit of the cover for the classic 1968 album from The Beatles, Yellow Submarine, according to the auction house.
During the restoration process, the original artwork from Cleghorn – whose work was also utilized by The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and The Who – was recreated.
According to the auction house, ‘The interior of the bus has been restored with painstaking detail to bring it back to the same condition it would have been in during the 1972 tour.
‘The refinished interior is complimented by wooden bunk beds, which the band member’s children would have slept on, and an original Wings tour trunk that was donated to the project by Denny Weiwell.’
![Paul and Linda McCartney were pictured outside of a court in London in February of 1971](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76365057-12613353-Paul_and_Linda_McCartney_were_pictured_outside_of_a_court_in_Lon-a-59_1696948206656.jpg)
Paul and Linda McCartney were pictured outside of a court in London in February of 1971
![The rock royalty couple was seen in a studio shot ahead of Wings recording Venus And Mars in 1974](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76365061-12613353-The_rock_royalty_couple_was_seen_in_a_studio_shot_ahead_of_Wings-a-63_1696948207708.jpg)
The rock royalty couple was seen in a studio shot ahead of Wings recording Venus And Mars in 1974
![The legendary musician was seen at the Glastonbury Festival in June of 2022](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/10/15/76365049-12613353-The_legendary_musician_was_seen_at_the_Glastonbury_Festival_in_J-a-60_1696948206801.jpg)
The legendary musician was seen at the Glastonbury Festival in June of 2022
The perimeter of the bus’ lower cabin is flanked by ‘bright yellow curtains that accent the psychedelic paint scheme of the exterior,’ according to Julien’s Auctions.
The auction house said that the bus ‘is equipped with a Gardner 5LW 7 liter diesel engine mated to a manual transmission, noting that ‘these engines were known for their dependability and fuel economy, and were commonly used in buses, work trucks, and marine applications.’
Eastern Coachworks in Lowestoft ‘was responsible for fitting the KSW body to the chassis,’ as the bus ‘began its service on November 3, 1953 for Eastern National, where it served the areas of Colchester, Clacton, and Butlins,’ the auction house noted.
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