24th Jul, 2024 13:00
Pavilion Gardens | Buxton, Derbyshire

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Single family ownership from 1971 until 1997
Genuine 29,700 miles from new
Supplied with the original BMC Retail Order Form and a large history file
Pleasingly original example with factory spot welds present
Inspired by a bespoke Morris 1100 that Fred Connolly had commissioned from coachbuilder-turned-manufacturer Vanden Plas, BMC tasked its Kingsbury-based subsidiary with replicating Mr. Connolly’s car to gauge public reaction at the October 1963 Earls Court Motor Show. Sporting a revised radiator grille, two-tone Green paint, and sumptuous Champagne Beige leather and Walnut Veneer interior, the resultant machine attracted a deluge of enquiries. Entering production in April 1964, the Vanden Plas Princess 1100 boasted a twin-carburettor 1100cc engine, four-speed manual gearbox, front disc brakes, and Hydrolastic interconnected suspension. Priced at £896 (£195 more than the MG 1100 with which it shared a powerplant), the newcomer also featured a West of England cloth headlining, Wilton carpets, reading lights, rear picnic tables and individual folding front seat armrests. In an age of coachbuilt Minis by Wood & Pickett and Radford etc, the Vanden Plas with its ‘shrunken Rolls-Royce’ cabin proved a strong seller, with the 1300 version launched in Autumn 1967.

Chassis ‘29297M’ was despatched from the factory on the 12th of August 1971, finished in Midnight Blue paintwork with Blue leather interior upholstery, a colour scheme that it pleasingly still presents in today. Road registered as ‘FYC 884K’, the Vanden Plas was specified with the factory fitted extras of the four-speed automatic transmission, heated rear window, and automatic seat belts. Supplied to the first keeper by Shrubbery Garages Ltd of Weston-Super-Mare, with the original BMC retail order form still on file, the first owner used the 1300 sparingly, and according to a letter on file from his granddaughter, was only used for Saturday morning trips to the pub and was polished in the afternoon on its return back! Retained in the first family ownership until 1997, the Princess was sold with just 21,000 miles having been covered.

Well maintained through its subsequent life, there are significant numbers of maintenance and servicing invoices on file. Entering previous ownership in 2014, the Vanden Plas received new front brake discs and pads, and servicing upon purchase. Fitted with a Stage Two Head at some point, the vendor informs the Vanden Plas is ‘very nippy’ and the 1300 engine started readily and ran well during our recent photography session. Offered with a large history file that contains the aforementioned significant collection of invoices and the letter from the original owner's granddaughter, as well as a large selection of MOTs back to 1977 (with 5,696 miles at the time), previous tax discs, Vanden Plas Owner's Club factory records, and a current V5C document.

A low mileage example having now covered just 29,700 miles from new, ‘29297M’ is a notably original car, believed to be retaining much of its original interior and presents with its factory spot welds evident. Supplied with its jack and toolkit, this is a rare opportunity for what is surely a scarce sub-30,000 miles example.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452

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