Clowgon
24-12-2007, 12:16 AM
The record-breaking jet-powered car in which Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond had a near-fatal crash in North Yorkshire has been put up for sale.
The owners of the 300mph Vampire jet dragster want to sell the car and make space in their workshop.
The eBay auction listing for the car describes it as "a little the worse for wear after its much-publicised excursion into the weeds".
The closing date for bids on the vehicle in 0700GMT on 30 December.
Colin Fallows, the vehicle's co-owner who hopes to raise between £5,000 and £10,000 from the sale, said he was sad to part with the vehicle.
"We've not got a huge workshop and it's 30ft long and taking up a lot of space. We just want to get shot of it," he said.
"We'll be very sad to see it go. Over the years it's had one meticulous owner and one crap driver."
'Huge sums'
Top Gear co-star Jeremy Clarkson said he had made Hammond smile by calling him a "crap driver" while he was lying in a coma in hospital following the accident at Elvington Airfield near York in 2006.
"Everybody who's approached us so far has wanted pieces of it, and we've been offered huge sums of money for the steering wheel," he said.
"We didn't want to sell it in bits because of the inconvenience of taking it apart. If we sell the whole thing complete then it's out of our way.
Mr Fallows, who lives in Northampton, said he had not had any contact with Mr Hammond or the BBC over the auction.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44108000/jpg/_44108641_hammond1_203bbc.jpg Richard Hammond suffered brain injuries and was airlifted to hospital
Mr Hammond was driving the Vampire when a tyre blow-out sent the vehicle spinning off the runway and left the presenter upside down and dug into a grass verge.
He was airlifted to hospital by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance where he was treated for swelling to the brain and bruising but eventually made a complete recovery.
Mr Fallows said the car's Rolls-Royce Orpheus engine could be made to run again, but most of the rest of the vehicle was beyond repair.
"We're selling it as scrap," he said.
The Vampire, which is listed on eBay as having no MOT, road tax or "in-car entertainment options", has no reserve price and a minimum opening bid of £2,500. The site listing warns casual bidders that if they are successful they will need a low loader and lifting gear to move the vehicle, as well as somewhere to store it.
The owners of the 300mph Vampire jet dragster want to sell the car and make space in their workshop.
The eBay auction listing for the car describes it as "a little the worse for wear after its much-publicised excursion into the weeds".
The closing date for bids on the vehicle in 0700GMT on 30 December.
Colin Fallows, the vehicle's co-owner who hopes to raise between £5,000 and £10,000 from the sale, said he was sad to part with the vehicle.
"We've not got a huge workshop and it's 30ft long and taking up a lot of space. We just want to get shot of it," he said.
"We'll be very sad to see it go. Over the years it's had one meticulous owner and one crap driver."
'Huge sums'
Top Gear co-star Jeremy Clarkson said he had made Hammond smile by calling him a "crap driver" while he was lying in a coma in hospital following the accident at Elvington Airfield near York in 2006.
"Everybody who's approached us so far has wanted pieces of it, and we've been offered huge sums of money for the steering wheel," he said.
"We didn't want to sell it in bits because of the inconvenience of taking it apart. If we sell the whole thing complete then it's out of our way.
Mr Fallows, who lives in Northampton, said he had not had any contact with Mr Hammond or the BBC over the auction.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44108000/jpg/_44108641_hammond1_203bbc.jpg Richard Hammond suffered brain injuries and was airlifted to hospital
Mr Hammond was driving the Vampire when a tyre blow-out sent the vehicle spinning off the runway and left the presenter upside down and dug into a grass verge.
He was airlifted to hospital by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance where he was treated for swelling to the brain and bruising but eventually made a complete recovery.
Mr Fallows said the car's Rolls-Royce Orpheus engine could be made to run again, but most of the rest of the vehicle was beyond repair.
"We're selling it as scrap," he said.
The Vampire, which is listed on eBay as having no MOT, road tax or "in-car entertainment options", has no reserve price and a minimum opening bid of £2,500. The site listing warns casual bidders that if they are successful they will need a low loader and lifting gear to move the vehicle, as well as somewhere to store it.