TERRY Doran, one of the Beatles friends and close ‘inner circle’, died last week aged 84.

Few will be aware that Terry Doran offered Warrington’s closest connection to the Beatles and Sgt Pepper.

Mr Doran was thought to be the inspiration for ‘the man in the motor trade’ in the song ‘She’s Leaving Home’.

He sold the nineteen-year-old George Harrison his first new car – a blue Ford Anglia - while working as a car salesman at Hawthorne Engineering, 6 Lovely Lane. The address is now home to JH & E Robinson Carpet Showroom

In return for a favourable discount Hawthorne Engineering were permitted to advertise: ‘Like George Harrison of The Beatles, you can become proud owner of a first-class car. Contact Hawthorne Engineering Co. Now!’. The advert appeared in the local Merseybeat music newspaper in July 1962. The ‘New and used car specialists’ offered a whole four month written guarantee with each sale.

Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn describes Mr Doran as 'a car salesman with a sharp mind and a ready Liverpool wit'.

Mr Doran then went on to supply the band with an eight-seater Ford Thames van, which Beatles manager, Brian Epstein’s company NEMS purchased on the group's behalf.

He later co-owned Brydor Cars in Hounslow, Middlesex with Brian Epstein. The business supplied prestige sportscars to celebrities in the Swinging London era, including an Aston Martin DB5 to Paul McCartney along with cars for other bands and artists including the Rolling Stones.

In the late 1960’s, Mr Doran managed the Beatles' Apple Publishing company before going on to manage the band Grapefruit and singer Mary Hopkin who were both Apple recording artists.

Following the band's break-up in 1970, he worked as the estate manager at George Harrison's Friar Park property in Henley on Thames and managed Harrison's London office of Dark Horse Records.

Cited as the inspiration behind the line "Meeting a man from the motor trade" in the song "She's Leaving Home", he is also quoted as having suggested the line "Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall", in their song A Day in the Life, the final track of The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.