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.
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.
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.
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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I can see our local Arthur Daley (MEJ) bidding! 🙂
Clocking cars used to be extremely easy on cars of that period because instruments were all mechanical, no digital stuff in those days. All it took was to flick the first number on the odometer drum a few clicks with a thin screwdriver through the back of the speedo via a warning light bulb hole. In my book about the motor trade, Four Wheels To A Fortune, which was based on my experiences buying and selling cars in auctions whilst a student, I relate the true tale about replacing a dashboard bulb in a Capri’s speedo and finding a label on the back of it which read ‘oh not again!’
Glenmore – can you imagine Arthur saying
‘ I bid you adieu Biggles ‘