Wed, 19th Oct 2022 13:00
Imperial War Museum, Duxford
No Reserve
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In the ownership of one family from new since leaving the supplying dealership
Retained for a short period as a dealer demonstrator after manufacture
Believed genuine mileage of just 73,416 recorded miles from new (at time of consignment)
Highly original and unrestored example with an accompanying history file
Offered from the late Robert Riding’s Estate at No Reserve, the vast majority of which has been left to charity with the RNLI as the largest beneficiary
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.
Manufactured in 1971, the 1300 offered was provided to BMC distributors Cockshoots of Hyde and retained by them for a few months as a dealer demonstrator. Spotted in the showroom by the late Robert Furniss Riding’s mother, who is said to have remarked on the ‘Bentley-style grill’ on a small car, the family purchased the Vanden Plas on the 1st of April 1971, being retained in the same family ownership ever since. Passed from mother to Robert upon her passing, the Vanden Plas is now offered from the late Robert Riding’s Estate at No Reserve, the vast majority of which has been left to charity with the RNLI as the largest beneficiary. Fitted with the 1300cc straight-four engine allied to the four-speed AP automatic transmission, the ‘ADO16’ presents in Trafalgar Blue with complementing Grey interior upholstery.
A highly original and unrestored example, presenting with factory spot welds evident, the Vanden Plas has recently benefitted from a full service, brake fluid change, and new water pump in 2018 (to the cost of some £1,500); a replacement battery in 2019; and fuel system remediation in 2021. Accompanied by a history file that contains the owner’s handbook, the original stamped Passport to Service; servicing record folder; a large selection of older servicing and work invoices dating back to the early 1990s; recent invoices for work completed; several MOT certificates from the 1980s and 1990s; scans of previous registration documents; period photographs; and the Isle of Man registration document.
