Lot Ended
Description
Super-rare VdP model, one of
only around 30 surviving; only 57k miles indicated; interesting history;
well-maintained including recent £3k spend; advisory-free MOT; driven 20 miles
to the sale; a wedge-tastic slice of pure gold Eighties nostalgia!
The Austin Ambassador Vanden Plas, launched in March 1982, was the
final, most luxurious evolution of British Leyland’s ‘Wedge’ series. While it
was basically a facelift of the earlier Princess, the Ambassador finally
introduced the one feature its predecessor had desperately lacked: a rear
hatchback.
As the flagship of the range, the
Vanden Plas was designed to offer executive-level comfort to the bank manager
classes, replacing the previous HLS trim as the pinnacle of the line. Standard
equipment was generous for the early 1980s, including crushed velour ‘Raschelle’
seating, deep-pile carpets, and a tilt-and-slide sunroof.
Luxuries included central locking, electric front
windows and twin remote-control door mirrors. On the outside it gained
distinctive multi-spoke alloy wheels and a fancy chrome-topped radiator
grille.
Despite its premium
positioning, early models were criticized for a dashboard that felt a bit low
rent compared to the Princess. British Leyland responded in late 1983 by adding
burr walnut veneer to the fascia and door cappings to bring it in line with the
prestigious Vanden Plas trimmings found in the Rover SD1.
Under the low, sloping bonnet, the Vanden Plas was powered by a 2.0
‘O’ Series engine equipped with twin SU carburettors, producing 100bhp, rather
than the 82bhp 1.7 unit found in the HLS. While this provided adequate cruising
power, it was hampered by the lack of a fifth gear when rivals like the Ford
Sierra were offering five-speed boxes.
However,
the Ambassador excelled in ride quality, the ingenious Hydragas suspension
absorbing road imperfections with a class-leading smoothness that made it a
cossetting long-distance cruiser.
Only produced
in RHD for the home market, the Ambassador’s life was short, the last rolling
off the production line in November 1983, although the car remained on sale in
the showrooms until well into 1984 by which time 43,427 had been sold, only a
fraction of them in Vanden Plas spec.
Today it
seems that only around 90 Ambassadors still survive, fewer than 40 of them taxed
and only 30 with the 2.0 engine making this car a rare find
indeed.
Supplied new by Howells of
Swansea in September 1982, this Vanden Plas was first registered to Grunhalle
Lager International of St Helier, Jersey, brewers of those fake continental
pilsners that were so popular with British pub-goers in the 1970s and
‘80s.
Being an early model, it
doesn’t have the interior walnut trim fitted to the later cars, but it makes up
for this with the wonderfully period Cashmere Gold paintwork with a matching
velour interior.
It is showing only
57,269 miles on the clock which is believed to be correct and is borne out by
the general condition of the car which seems pleasingly original in most
respects. Little is known of the car’s early history but old MOTs on file imply
that it was taken off the road in 2006 when it had 47,802 miles on the clock,
briefly being put back into use in 2011 and then going back into storage for
another six years.
The story picks up
again in 2016 when the car was spotted in Malvern by a senior member of the
Owner’s Club. Although it looked to be in basically good shape, it had been
vandalised with most of the windows smashed. He took the car back to Southampton
and set about a major repair and recommissioning project,
entusiastically assisted by other club members and exhaustively detailed in
a lively thread on the leylandprincess.co.uk forum which is printed out on a
43-page document on file.
This
included replacing most of the glass, tidying up the bodywork, fitting a good
replacement cylinder head, a new headlining, work to the brakes and suspension
plus a multitude of other more minor jobs.
Finally finished in May 2017, the car was then advertised for sale on
eBay by which time it had 52,200 miles on the clock. Described as: ‘Solid and
original and from a few paces it looks very smart indeed… with a few blemishes
on the paintwork’, the ad went on to say: ‘New roof lining, new alloy wheels
with four matching tyres all in excellent condition… MOT until February 2018…
Just serviced and had a new cambelt fitted… Rides and drives superbly and is a
great motorway cruiser… Used regularly and always a talking point, although you
may get fed up with telling people it’s not an Austin
Princess!’
Our vendor acquired the
car in August 2024 and has continued to look after it well, a quick tot-up of
the bills showing that he has spent almost £3,000 on maintenance. This includes
a service in August 2024 at 53,630 miles; Dinitrol rust-proofing to the
underside; new clutch slave and master cylinders; new battery; new power
steering belt; cylinder head skimmed and lapped and fitted with a new head
gasket; carbs tuned plus another service in November 2025 at 55,230 miles. All
this work was carried out by Worcester Classic Cars of Spetchley and RPM of
Malvern.
The vendor tells us that the
car drives very well, the only faults he is aware of being the driver’s side
electric window which doesn’t work (the motor is fine but the rail the glass
sits on has come adrift) and the manually-operated sunroof which is difficult to
open.
Although it no longer needs
one, the car has an MOT until November 2026 with no advisories recorded. There
are also five old MOTs, lots of invoices, the aforementioned owner’s club forum
print-out and eBay listing plus a Haynes workshop manual. The original handbooks
are also present along with the service book which has three stamps up to 13,915
miles in August 1983 (see photos).
Driven some 20 miles to the sale, the car has been starting promptly
and running well as we have moved it around on site. As you can see in the
photos, this extremely rare Vanden Plas looks to be in good and
pleasingly original condition throughout.
A
proper slice of Eighties nostalgia with wonderful ‘wedge’ styling enhanced by
the groovy Cashmere Gold paintwork, it will turn heads and win friends wherever
it goes. And no, it's not a Princess, it's an Ambassador!
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com