Plaxton’s Most Famous Tour Coach

Of course Plaxton are famous for the coach and bus models which have been a familiar sight on our roads for the greater part of the last century, but you might not know that Plaxton have played a part in many significant events of the last 100 years.

Plaxton have built literally thousands of touring coaches in the last 100 years but one stands out above all others as the most famous of all.

In 1967, John, Paul, George and Ringo set off on a tour which was to become a landmark in their collective career as the Beatles. Leaving London, they toured Britain in a nomadic fashion, performing songs along the way for the making of the film, The Magical Mystery Tour. Their transport for this tour was an iconic Plaxton of the era, the  Panorama 1 based on the six wheeled Bedford VAL 14 chassis. The vehicle, registered URO 913E was purchased new in March 1967 by Fox Coaches of Hayes in Middlesex and was chartered by EMI to carry the band and their entourage for the making of the film. It was painted in a yellow and blue scheme with psychedelic logos and took part in several scenes in the film. Click here to link with thebeatles.com and see photos of the coach with the band on board. After a lengthy working life, the coach ended it’s days in the 1980’s and after a period of uncertainty was restored to it’s former glory and now spends it’s retirement in the care of the Hard Rock Café Group in the sunnier climes of Florida where it can be found taking centre stage outside their restaurant in Orlando.