James Hunt’s 1967 Austin 35 Van Countryman conversion has been consigned for Silverstone Auctions’ inaugural event during the Silverstone Classic festival on 23 July.
The vehicle has been in storage for 18 years since its current owner acquired it in 1993, when it still had James Hunt’s last cigarette butts in the ashtray and a sprinkling of Trill in the rear where he transported his beloved budgerigars to shows! Still used by Hunt as his daily transport at the time of his death in 1993, Hunt’s affection for the car was well-documented, including the car’s ability at the hands of Hunt to ‘slide’ and take on much faster sports cars around London.
The car starts and runs, but would likely need some mechanical attention before being put back on the road, and a well-worn interior bears testament to the car’s lifetime, including its flamboyant and ‘bird-loving’ owner! It comes with a registration document in James’ name as well as a wealth of receipts for work carried out to the car during James’ ownership, plus books and magazines making reference to both James Hunt and his A35.
The Austin A35 van joins James Hunt’s ‘other’ car, his 1975 Dutch Grand Prix-winning Formula One Hesketh 308/2, also for sale this July with Silverstone Auctions.
“Formula One fever is building in the lead up to the British round, with UK drivers hoping to be on the podium and, of course, the new Wing building opened this week at Silverstone that will host this year’s F1 and MotoGP events for the first time,” said Silverstone Auctions’ managing director Nick Whale.
