The iconic yellow Reliant Regal Supervan III used by Derek Del Boy Trotter in Only Fools and Horses is going to auction in November.
The 1972 three-wheeled vehicle, emblazoned with Trotters Independent Trading Co on its side, is expected to fetch between £30,000 and £40,000 when it goes under the hammer. It is currently owned by a private collector.
The van was used by Del Boy, played by David Jason, and his brother Rodney, portrayed by Nicholas Lyndhurst, in the first two series of the beloved show. It was driven by the characters as they hauled counterfeit goods around London.
The British Broadcasting Corporation bought six of the vehicles for production, but official documents in the Reliant Motor Club archive confirm that registration APL 911H was the only van used in all 13 episodes filmed between 1981 and 1982.
Archive records confirm the vehicle appeared in the very first episode, Big Brother, as well as The Russians Are Coming. It featured most famously in A Touch of Glass, where Del, Rodney and Grandad, played by Lennard Pearce, accidentally smash a priceless chandelier.
In that iconic episode, Rodney drives the van into the countryside where the trio encounters a lady from a nearby manor house with a broken-down car. Del pretends to be a chandelier expert and offers to clean a Louis XVI chandelier for Lord Ridgemere, leading to disaster when the fixture crashes to the floor and the group flees to the battered yellow van for a quick getaway.
Only Fools and Horses is one of the most celebrated British television sitcoms in history. Created and written by John Sullivan, the BBC comedy ran for seven regular series and numerous Christmas specials, following the misadventures of market trader Del Boy and his family in Peckham, South London.
Vehicle restoration and original props
The vintage three-wheeler has racked up 97,000 miles on the clock and has a top speed of 55 mph. It has been lovingly restored to its original BBC filming condition, complete with its distinctive leopard-patterned seats.
Recent mechanical restoration work includes a new old stock carburettor, new brake cylinders, a replacement battery, and overhaul work on the fuel system. The car has also received new tyres and brakes, alongside a grey-primer bonnet hatch, bumpers, wings, and red-painted door interiors.
The car is being sold alongside historic props from the television series. These include a replica Harrison watch and a novelty £6.2million cheque made payable to D Trotter and R Trotter.
The Reliant Regal Supervan III is a three-wheeled light commercial vehicle manufactured by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, Staffordshire. The glass-reinforced plastic body shell and lightweight design made three-wheelers popular in post-war Britain due to tax benefits and driving licence regulations.
Auction details and expert reaction
Gary Dunne, Sales Manager at Iconic Auctioneers, highlighted the unique historical appeal of the television car despite its utilitarian design.
"This Reliant is a good reminder that significance is not always measured in performance or panache," Dunne said. "There can't be many vehicles that are as instantly recognisable as this APL 911H."
"Its connection to the very earliest years of Only Fools and Horses makes it particularly special, and for the right fan, you might even say, Lovely Jubbly," he added.
Iconic Auctioneers is a specialist British auction house dedicated to classic automobiles, competition cars, and automobilia. The vehicle will go under the hammer at The Classic Sale, taking place during the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham on November 15.
