Thora Hird’s ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ car goes up for sale

The Triumph Herald was regularly seen in the show during Hird’s time with the programme.

Thora Hird’s character of Edie Pegden was regularly seen behind the wheel of the 1970 Triumph Herald, 13/60 where the character was such a bad driver all her passengers feared for their lives, Edie never accepted this as the case and always blamed the car for her troubles – and more so mechanic husband Wesley (Gordon Wharmby) for meddling with it, “he’s been moving the gear lever around again!”

However, the now famous vehicle, as featured in BBC One’s Last of the Summer Wine, is far from the troubled car as seen on screen and can now be yours; offered in mint condition for an estimate of £16,000 – £18,000 with H&H Classics.

The sitcom star car is offered in fully restored condition for any discerning collector or enthusiast to enjoy and is accompanied by a matching die-cast model bearing the same registration, photographs of the vehicle during the series and confirmation from the supplying owner and representative of the BBC.

Last of the Summer Wine, Barry, Edie, Glenda and Wesley BBC/UKTV.

The car comes with photographs of it starring in the BBC sitcom.

Andreas Hicks of H&H:

“A famous vehicle presented in condition truly worth seeing, this surely presents a fantastic opportunity for any discerning collector or enthusiast. Here, in one charming package, is a double helping of iconic Britishness – both car and TV show.”

For any true fan of this iconic show the car is notable as the last iteration of the Triumph Herald, the 13/60 being launched in October 1967. Some twenty-five percent more powerful than its 1200 predecessor, the newcomer was reputedly capable of 0-60mph in 17.7 seconds and 84mph. Available in Saloon, Estate or Convertible guises, the 13/60 featured all-round independent suspension, disc/drum brakes and rack and pinion steering plus revised frontal styling, a new dashboard and more comfortable seating. Phased out in May 1971, just 16,091 Convertibles were made with survivors being comparatively few and far between.

This Red 1970 Herald 13/60 Convertible on offer will be immediately familiar to the many fans of Last of the Summer Wine – the world’s longest running sit-com, that was screened by the BBC and filmed around Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, from 1973 to 2010. The Triumph belonged to ‘Edie Pegden’ (played by the inimitable Thora Hird DBE); the wife of ‘Wesley’ and mother of ‘Glenda’. It’s fair to say that Edie was not a natural driver, taking three goes to pass her test and still struggling with the controls thereafter; blaming Wesley for ‘moving things around’ whenever the long-suffering Herald got the better of her. Edie and the car were written out of the series following Hird’s death in 2003, but the car certainly lived on.

Last of the Summer Wine can be seen regularly on UKTV’s Gold channel.