Classic Triumph TR7 from hit TV show is up for sale at auction – and it comes with a big surprise for fans

The Triumph TR7 from the smash TV comedy Detectorists has been put up for auction.

The bright yellow sports car was driven by Toby Jones’ character, Lance, in the much loved show, and is expected to fetch between £3,500 - £4,500 when it goes under the hammer on April 28th.

Mathewsons Auctions are handling the sale and will be operating the auction from their Pickering site in North Yorkshire.

The auction house has a strong TV connection already, as it's the business behind the Yesterday/UKTV programme Bangers and Cash, which follows the goings-on of the family firm and their passion for classic cars. 

Coming with plenty of paperwork, including MOT test certificates and previous invoices, the distinctive TR7 should attract decent interest from classic car collectors and fans of the metal detecting show, which also stars Mackenzie Crook.

The 2.0-litre model was first registered in 1977 and has covered almost 74,000 miles, while its current MOT expires in August.

A spokesman for the auction house said: “It looks like a real bright car, there’s a few imperfections here and there, room for improvement, but nothing that jumps out at you.”

“Under the engine bay all looks good, although she’s not quite firing on all cylinders and could do with a good run out.”

A further video walkround of the car by the auction representative shows that the interior is in reasonable condition, too, with heavy wear on the driver’s seat being the only obvious area in need of repair.

The rep fires up the engine during the video clip and comments on the apparent misfire, but seems confident that it shouldn’t be a huge issue to rectify.

Aside from the mechanical workings of the car, fans of Detectorists will probably be more interested in the fact that the cast of the show has signed the interior of the boot lid.

With such provenance, the estimated price of around £4k could be a lot higher.