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Minder mobiles

Minder mobiles – 1981 Daimler Sovereign 4.2-litre and 1977 Ford Capri used in television series Minder to be auctioned on 20th April 2016 in the H&H Classics Imperial War Museum Duxford Sale

Daimler used in ‘Minder’ to be auctioned alongside a Ford Capri from the same series; rather appropriately it was once clocked

 

Dodgy wheeler-dealer car salesman Arthur Daley is said to have done as much damage to the Daimler brand as Alan Partridge did to Lexus but now fans of the ITV series Minder have the opportunity to acquire the very vehicle he drove in the show at a somewhat ambitious guide of £35,000 to £45,000.

 

The Daimler on offer was the main car used by Arthur Daley during the series run
“Minder” was shown for twenty years between 1979 and 2009

 

Last offered by Silverstone Auctions in April 2014 with an estimate of just £10,500 to £15,000 and sold for £15,525, the 1981 Daimler Sovereign 4.2-litre driven by “all-round spiv” Daley – played by George Cole (1925 – 2015) in the series – is on its original registration number (VDU 342X) rather than the dummy plate (DYO 979V). The car’s odometer displays 43,990 miles but ironically, given Daley’s shady antics, had its odometer replaced at 9,000 miles.

 

The Daimler was given away in a TV Times competition in 1985 and subsequently raffled again in aid of Salisbury Hospice in 2002. The second winner didn’t want it so opted to sell it on eBay in 2003 and in the time since, the vehicle has recently been refinished in its original ‘Portland Beige’ livery. It has also been subject to £5,000 worth of “mechanical fettling at the hands of a marque specialist” recently and is described as a “nice little runner” by auctioneers H&H Classics.

 

Rather amusingly the odometer is the car’s second
The interior is suitably “Arfur Daley”
The car was raffled in the “TV Times” in October 1985 despite George Cole wishing to buy it himself

 

Also on offer in the same auction, but with a much more punchy estimate of £65,000 to £85,000 is a 1977 Ford Capri 2.0S driven by Terry McCann – played by Dennis Waterman – in the series. It displays 88,700 miles on the clock and though this model is much sought after, this particular car came close to being crushed some years ago.

The Capri is set to break a record for such cars if it sells for its estimate
George Cole and Dennis Waterman with the Capri in the show

 

Both of the ex-Minder cars will be sold at the H&H Classics Imperial War Museum Duxford Sale on Wednesday 20th April 2016. “Every one’s a go-er”.

 

 

 

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