What a nice little earner! Boycie's Jaguar E-type in Only Fools and Horses which was crashed by Del Boy and Rodney on night out in the West End is tipped to fetch £160,000 at auction

  • The classic Jaguar crashed by Del Boy and Rodney in Only Fools & Horses is tipped to sell for £160,000
  • The vintage 1973 Series III V12 roadster was entrusted to the Trotter brothers by Boycie in the 1981 episode
  • While showing off the car in the West End, it was rear-ended by an old banger Del sold earlier on in the show
  • The roadster, painted in Old English White with blue leather, has actor John Challis' autograph inside the boot

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The classic Jaguar E-type car crashed by Del Boy and Rodney in Only Fools & Horses is tipped to sell for £160,000.

The vintage 1973 Series III V12 roadster was entrusted to the Trotter brothers by Boycie in the 1981 episode Go West Young Man.

The dodgy second-hand car dealer, played by the late John Challis, had bought the flash car for his mistress and had to hide it from wife Marlene.

But when the brothers took it on a night out to London's West End to turn heads, the E-Type Jag was rear-ended by an old banger with faulty brakes that Del had sold earlier in the episode.

Luckily, in real life, the classic car wasn't really damaged and has been lovingly looked after by just two owners since it was first registered in 1973.

The classic Jaguar E-type car crashed by Del Boy and Rodney in Only Fools & Horses is tipped to sell for £160,000.

The classic Jaguar E-type car crashed by Del Boy and Rodney in Only Fools & Horses is tipped to sell for £160,000.

The vintage 1973 Series III V12 roadster was entrusted to the Trotter brothers by Boycie in the 1981 episode Go West Young Man (Pictured: Del Boy, played by Sir David Jason on right, is loaned the car by Boycie played by John Challis)

The vintage 1973 Series III V12 roadster was entrusted to the Trotter brothers by Boycie in the 1981 episode Go West Young Man (Pictured: Del Boy, played by Sir David Jason on right, is loaned the car by Boycie played by John Challis)

The luxury E-Type Jag famously gets rear-ended by an old banger with faulty brakes that Del had sold earlier in the episode

The luxury E-Type Jag famously gets rear-ended by an old banger with faulty brakes that Del had sold earlier in the episode

Luckily, in real life, the classic car wasn't really damaged and has been lovingly looked after by just two owners since it was first registered in 1973

Luckily, in real life, the classic car wasn't really damaged and has been lovingly looked after by just two owners since it was first registered in 1973

The motor has covered 80,000 miles and still has its original 314bhp engine which gives a top speed of 135mph.

The motor has covered 80,000 miles and still has its original 314bhp engine which gives a top speed of 135mph.

The roadster, painted in Old English White with blue leather, comes with Challis' autograph on the inside of the boot.

The motor has covered 80,000 miles and still has its original 314bhp engine which gives a top speed of 135mph.

It is being sold at Hampson's Auctions of Holywell, North Wales, along with signed photos of the Only Fools & Horses cast and a scale model of the Jag signed by Sir David Jason, who played Del Boy, and Challis.

Zach Hamilton, managing director of Hampson's, said: 'We are proud to be selling such an important car. It's the very one that the famously dotty duo of Del Boy and Rodney inevitably crashed in series 1 episode 2 of the BBC sitcom.

'It appears to have led a relatively quiet life, aside from its brief spell as a TV star and its V12 engine, automatic transmission, bodywork, paintwork and upholstery are all in good order.

The roadster (pictured with its headliner up) is painted in Old English White with blue leather and comes with Challis' autograph on the inside of the boot

The roadster (pictured with its headliner up) is painted in Old English White with blue leather and comes with Challis' autograph on the inside of the boot

The motor has covered 80,000 miles and still has its original 314bhp engine which gives a top speed of 135mph

The motor has covered 80,000 miles and still has its original 314bhp engine which gives a top speed of 135mph

It is being sold at Hampson's Auctions of Holywell, North Wales, along with signed photos of the Only Fools & Horses cast and a scale model of the Jag signed by Sir David Jason, who played Del Boy, and Challis

It is being sold at Hampson's Auctions of Holywell, North Wales, along with signed photos of the Only Fools & Horses cast and a scale model of the Jag signed by Sir David Jason, who played Del Boy, and Challis

'As you might imagine, this star car is accompanied by a host of TV-related memorabilia, including a number of videos, signed photographs and even a scale model of the Jaguar autographed by Sir David Jason and John Challis, while the underside of the car's bootlid also carries Boycie's moniker'.

Only Fools & Horses aired from 1981 to 1991, followed by several Christmas specials until 2003.

The show follows the exploits of Del and Rodney and their various attempts to get rich.

Its 1996 episode 'Time on Our Hands' holds the record for the highest UK audience for a sitcom episode, attracting 24.3 million viewers.

John Challis died last year aged 79.

The Jaguar will be sold tomorrow.

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