Registration No: IOM Registrered
Chassis No: VAS2-26647M
MOT: Exempt

• In the ownership of one family from new since leaving the supplying dealership
• Retained for a short period as a dealer demonstrator after manufacture
• Believed genuine mileage of just 73,416 recorded miles from new (at time of consignment)
• Highly original and unrestored example with an accompanying history file
• Offered from the late Robert Riding’s Estate at No Reserve, the vast majority of which has been left to charity with the RNLI as the predominant beneficiary

Inspired by a bespoke Morris 1100 that Fred Connolly had commissioned from coachbuilder-turned-manufacturer Vanden Plas, BMC tasked its Kingsbury-based subsidiary with replicating Mr. Connolly’s car to gauge public reaction at the October 1963 Earls Court Motor Show. Sporting a revised radiator grille, two-tone Green paint, and sumptuous Champagne Beige leather and Walnut Veneer interior, the resultant machine attracted a deluge of enquiries. Entering production in April 1964, the Vanden Plas Princess 1100 boasted a twin-carburettor 1100cc engine, four-speed manual gearbox, front disc brakes, and Hydrolastic interconnected suspension. Priced at £896 (£195 more than the MG 1100 with which it shared a powerplant), the newcomer also featured a West of England cloth headlining, Wilton carpets, reading lights, rear picnic tables and individual folding front seat armrests. In an age of coachbuilt Minis by Wood & Pickett and Radford etc, the Vanden Plas with its ‘shrunken Rolls-Royce’ cabin proved a strong seller, with the 1300 version launched in Autumn 1967.

Manufactured in 1971, the 1300 offered was provided to BMC distributors Cockshoots of Hyde and retained by them for a few months as a dealer demonstrator. Spotted in the showroom by the late Robert Furniss Riding’s mother, who is said to have remarked on the ‘Bentley-style grill’ on a small car, the family purchased the Vanden Plas on the 1^st of April 1971, being retained in the same family ownership ever since. Passed from mother to Robert upon her passing, the Vanden Plas is now offered from the late Robert Riding’s Estate at No Reserve, the vast majority of which has been left to charity with the RNLI as the predominant beneficiary. Fitted with the 1300cc straight-four engine allied to the four-speed AP automatic transmission, the ‘ADO16’ presents in Trafalgar Blue with complementing Grey interior upholstery.

A highly original and unrestored example, presenting with factory spot welds evident, the Vanden Plas has recently benefitted from a full service, brake fluid change, and new water pump in 2018 (to the cost of some £1,500); a replacement battery in 2019; and fuel system remediation in 2021. Accompanied by a history file that contains the owner’s handbook, the original stamped Passport to Service; servicing record folder; a large selection of older servicing and work invoices dating back to the early 1990s; recent invoices for work completed; several MOT certificates from the 1980s and 1990s; scans of previous registration documents; period photographs; and the Isle of Man registration document.

PLEASE NOTE: The IOM Registration Number shown in the images is being retained by the estate, another IOM Registration Number will be attributed by the time of the sale.

PLEASE NOTE: We have been advised that vehicles registered on, and imported from, the Isle of Man are not subject to Import Duty. Nor is a NOVA application required for their re-registration in the United Kingdom.

About Robert Furniss Riding:

Born in 1940, the only child of only children parents, Bob was educated at Stockport Grammar School then read natural sciences at Christ Church, Oxford. He joined William Deacon’s Bank, and had a stellar ascent through it and its subsequent iterations ending up as Group Treasurer of the Royal Bank of Scotland. He grasped the opportunity of early retirement in 1990 and moved to the Isle of Man where he had been left a house by an aunt. But Bob was far from being inactive, throwing himself into the local community and taking on the turnaround of a local private bank as its Executive Chairman.

Sailing had been a preoccupation during his time in the City, but on coming to the Isle of Man, Bob switched his energies and focus to collecting “quality cars” – principally the products of Cricklewood, Derby and Crewe, but with some maverick exceptions such as Maserati and Caterham. Daimlers and Lanchesters also featured, and he had to move to a large country house to find garaging for the ever-growing collection. His cars were regularly campaigned at rallies for the appropriate marque and were often deserved winners of various trophies. He also got involved in the relevant enthusiast clubs, usually ending up as Chairman – and his list of appointments included the Chairmanship of the Manx Classic Car Club and the Manx Motor Racing Club.

Bob was always a keen supporter of local charities, particularly maritime and those involving young people, and many will have cause to remember with gratitude his generosity and his apparently bottomless well of technical knowledge on “quality cars”, so freely shared. Bob left his Estate predominantly to Charity with the RNLI being the Residuary Beneficiary. Thus, in effect, the entire proceeds of the car collection sale will be received by the RNLI.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452