George Harrison's Psycho MINI - back for good !

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, MINI will present a new interpretation of the original extravagant car that George Harrison owned.

During the MINI United Festival 2009 from 22-24 May in Silverstone/UK, the Mini will be presented to George’s widow Olivia Harrison, who will accept it on behalf of his Material World Charitable Foundation, which he founded in 1973. The car will then be auctioned off later in the year, with all proceeds going to the charity.

Each of the Beatles, or Fab Four as they were fondly named, was given a Mini Cooper S as a gift, by their manager Brian Epstein, in 1966. In keeping with the 1960s zeitgeist, George, the band’s lead guitarist, has his adorned with psychedelic images, such as Yantras and Sanskrit Mantras.

The legendary ride even starred in the “Magical Mystery Tour“ Beatles film in 1967. To mark their 50th birthday, MINI have now dedicated a modern version to George’s psychedelic vision, and in accordance with Olivia Harrison’s wishes.

"George was a huge MINI fan, and he would have enjoyed creating this new version. The fact that MINI's anniversary celebrations will also benefit our Foundation has made it an enjoyable, as well as meaningful collaboration." said Olivia Harrison.

George was diagnosed with cancer in 1997. He passed away, aged 59, on 29 November 2001 in Los Angeles, California.