Some of you may have had a night out at the cinema to watch the film entitled “The Lady in the Van”. It starred Dame Maggie Smith and was based on a lady by the name of Miss Mary Shepherd who, in real life, spent over 10 years living in a van on the drive of the home of playwright and actor Alan Bennett.

Well, you may be interested to note that one of the two vans that were prepared for the film, a classic 1957 Bedford CA van, is to be sold at auction by Silverstone Auctions at the NEC Birmingham where The Restoration Show Sale 2016 is to take place on the 6th March 2016. Viewing of the van and dozens of other vehicles is available on the 5th March 2016.

This van has a 3-speed gear box and has a rebuilt engine. Maggie Smith was actually involved in the hand painting of it in the film – a bright yellow.

It is estimated that the 1957 Bedford CA van could fetch in the region of £9,000 to £12,000. Presumably this price is taking into account the fact that it appeared in the above film.

This could be a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in such classic vans bearing in mind it has the added attraction of having appeared in the award winning film that was enjoyed by many cinemagoers from around the UK. It will be interesting to see how many people attend the auction and consider bidding for the van.

So, if this classic 1957 Bedford CA van is something that you find of interest, why not get along to the show this coming weekend. There are numerous other vehicles coming up for auction at the same show so, if this van does not appeal to you, there may be one or more other vehicles that do.