More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
An iconic vintage car from the Kent-based comedy drama The Darling Buds of May is set to go under the hammer next month.
The yellow Rolls-Royce 20hp Park Ward Landaulette was made famous as the much-loved motor of Pop Larkin, played by David Jason in the 1990s ITV adaptation of H. E. Bates's 1958 novel.
A story of life in the Garden of England in the 1950s, the show has this year been revived with Bradley Walsh stepping into Jason's shoes to play the part of Pop.
Auctioneer H&H Classics describes the 1926 Roller - registration RA 333 - as "arguably one of the most beloved UK TV car characters ever".
The car, which last sold in 2019 for £100,000, will be auctioned on November 17 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.
H&H Classics estimate the iconic vehicle will sell for between £50,000 and £70,000.
Unveiled by the luxury car maker in 1922, the 20HP was a second string to the Rolls-Royce bow - a shorter, more economical sibling to the Silver Ghost which broadened the marque's reach to span both the very rich and seriously wealthy.
The popular TV adaptation saw Jason, most famous for his role as Del Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, star opposite Pam Ferris as Ma Larkin and Catherine Zeta-Jones playing their eldest daughter Mariette.
Author H.E Bates captured Kent in all its perfick, rural glory for his tales of the Larkin family.
A former journalist, he and his wife Madge moved to Little Chart, near Ashford, and lived in an old granary with an acre of garden, where he went on to write his books, and lived for more than 40 years.
The latest ITV adaptation of the tale, which hit our screens on October 10, sees Joanna Scanlan play Ma Larkin, with Bridgerton’s Sabrina Bartlet taking on the role of Mariette.
