drive

Top Gear car up for auction

December 22, 2015

The Vauxhall Astra was driven by celebrities invited by BBC's Top Gear, and is now being auctioned for charity. – Vauxhall pic, December 22, 2015.The 1.6-litre Vauxhall Astra, which has been raced around the Top Gear track by everyone from Aaron Paul to Will Smith, is being sold on eBay to raise money for charity.

BBC's Top Gear is one of the few truly global TV shows with an estimated audience of 350 million viewers tuning in to watch Clarkson, May and Hammond make fools of themselves, to see the most exotic and exclusive vehicles being pushed to the limit, and to watch a movie, TV or singing star attempt to set a record lap time in a reasonably priced car.

Now that the show, in its current incarnation is over for good – its erstwhile hosts are planning a new show on Amazon and the BBC is developing a new take on the existing format for May 2016 – fans are being offered the chance to snap up a piece of its history.

The five-door Astra Tech line-up for auction has covered just 4,680 km and even comes with satnav as standard.

However, buyers should beware, all airbags have been deactivated in order to make room for the racing specification roll cage.

All proceeds from the online auction will be going to BEN, the charity dedicated to making a difference to people's lives in the automotive industry.

"We are reliant on the generosity of our supporters to enable us to continue our work helping people who work within the UK automotive industry, so we are very grateful to Vauxhall Motors for this kind donation of a piece of history for a great cause," said David Main, BEN chief executive. – AFP Relaxnews, December 22, 2015.