and economical in small matters while being wasteful or extravagant in large
ones.
But one particular penny-covered classic Mini could be an
astute invesment choice for some classic-car collector with some pounds (or dollars) to
spend. It’s an ultra rare 1968 Morris Mini-Minor mk II that was used to promote The Beatles 1968 song
Penny Lane, and it’s up for sale in the USA for $25 000 (R364 000).
Anyone into classic cars knows a golden oldie’s value is enhanced
by good provenance, such as an association with someone rich or famous. And
back in the 1968 no one was more rich or famous than The Beatles, which gives this
50 year old Mini some great bragging rights.
But that’s not all, as the infomercials say, because the car
is also completely covered in coins ( Penny Lane, geddit?). The car was
commissioned by Paul McCartney and the 4000 pre 1968 British coins stuck to the
car are coated in lacquer to prevent oxidation.
McCartney reportedly commissioned at least two ‘Penny Lane’
Minis for promotional work. The coating of pennies adds around 90kg to the
Mini’s weight, but the vehicle remains fully drivable.
After being used by a company in England for promotional
purposes, an employee bought the car for himself when the company went bankrupt. For over 25 years he attended car shows and offered prizes to
people for guessing the correct number of coins covering the car. Reportedly there
are some rare coins from the late 1800s in this exotic coating, which gives the
car even more value.
A new owner then exported the Mini to the US in 2002, and
recently put the car up on sale at www.autoclassics.com/advert/117996 for $25 000 (R360 000) – and that doesn’t seem like a bad price at all for any
serious collector of Beatles’ memorabilia.