Only Fools and Horses: What happened to Del Boy’s yellow three-wheeler?
The programme stopped airing in 2003, but that wasn't the end for the Trotter's Independent Trading Co. van
BBC’s Only Fools and Horses gave Britons up and down the country belly-aching, side-splitting laughter for 22 years, running from 1981 to 2003.
One of the most iconic memorabilia from the set of the show was the little yellow Reliant Regal, driven by the dodgiest dealer of them all, Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter.
On the side of the mini three-wheeler was written ‘Trotter’s Independent Trading Co.’ the name of the trading company which eventually made Del Boy the millions he always dreamed of.
But, what happened to the car after the show closed its curtain for the final time, and where is it now?
Firstly, it must be said that during the 22 years of the show, the BBC used up to six different models of the car. There are also plenty of replicas on the market, made by fans.
However, the whereabouts of at least one of the original vehicles is known today, as it sold for a generous £36,000 earlier this year.
The car was bought by 32-year-old Warwickshire man Dale Biddle, who after buying the JPL 725K-plated car from Silverstone Auctions, parked it outside his jewellery store in Birmingham.
His store, The Bullion Room, can be found in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter on Warstone Lane.
Having clocked over 96,000 miles, the 1972 model car, which can only reach a top speed of 55 mph, is long past its sell-by date for practical usage, but it still runs.
Naturally, not all parts of the car are original, as it has undergone some recommissioning. The tyres and the brakes have been completely renewed.
But, the car was sold on with its original roof rack complete with the market suitcase, fluffy dice, ‘Tax in the Post’ sign, and an inflatable doll from the episode ‘Danger UXD’ in tact.
The previous owner, ex-BBC employee John Mansfield, owned the car for six years, having bought it from the same auction house he sold it to. The car was said to be “lightly used” while it was in his possession.
Its current owner told the Lancashire Post this year that although the car “wobbles like crazy when a lorry goes past, black smoke comes out the back, the horn beeps when it goes over a pothole and there’s no reverse”, it otherwise “runs like a dream”.
