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The cars of Only Fools and Horses

The cars of Only Fools and Horses

The cars of Only Fools and Horses
17 May 2012

At a terrible pub quiz in a town called Uxbridge we once witnessed a grown man lose his tiny mind over the question, "What is the slogan written on the side of Del Boy's famous Reliant Robin?" THERE IS NO RELIANT ROBIN IN ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES! he scrawled on our answer sheet in angry ink. IT IS A RELIANT REGAL.

And although Steve may not have got any actual points that ill fated evening, he did in a some other way have one very good point. That point being that people should pay more attention to the motors of OFAH. There may not be any Reliant Robins in Fools, but bonjour, there are some cosmic motors...

You can also try your luck at the Only Fools quiz here.

The Yellow Peril

Reliant Regal 700cc Supervan

Top speed: 55mph

The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed the differing number plates seen on the van over the years in Fools. The varying plates give the game away - there were in fact multiple Reliants used on the show. Claims on how many vans were used range from six to eighteen, though lets face it anyone who owns a Regal would be mad not to paint it yellow and claim it to be a Trotter original. Ricky Hatton owns one of these "official" Regals, another one has been converted into a hearse and can be used to transport your dead for as little as £600 a pop. Cushty.

Boycie's Jag

Jaguar E Type

Top speed: 145mph

In the classic episode where Del and Rodders chat up a pair of transvestites, and pretend Rodney is a world renowned tennis champ called Hot Rod, they also crash this incredible machine. The car they hit? Another motor that just misses out on this list - Del's former Vauxhall Velox. The dodgy Velox is driven by the bloke who went on to play Mr Sullivan in cult show Press Gang, and his terrible Aussie accent somehow fails to kill this brilliant scene.

Denzil's Lorry

DAF 2800

Top speed: 70mph

Poor old Denzil, founder and owner of Transit Transworld Express "Any time, any load, anywhere." The bearded scouser's easy access to vans and trucks always made him a prime target for Del when he needed something dodgy picking up or dropping off. The combination of the DAF and Del not only lead to the end of Denzil's marriage, but also to him being placed in a mental hospital.

The Pratmobile

Ford Capri Ghia

Top speed: 122mph

Back in Series Seven, the heavily preggers Raquel was understandably not that keen for her baby to travel around dans le van. Hence Boycey flogged the Trotters this wonderful lime beast for a very reasonable £400 (that's sixteen ponies, right?). Controversially, to our cynical old eyes, the Pratmobile seems to miraculously change from a MKII Capri to a MKIII Capri after it’s been spruced up by Del. Quite the mechanic.

The Jolly Boys Bus

Ford R-1114

Top Speed: unknown

Many cars, buses, bikes and vans have played important if slightly minor roles in the series, the Austin Alegro and Ford Cortina MKI of the title music included. One of our favourite bit part vehicles was the bus which provided the catalyst to the script when the Nags Head locals had their day out to Margate. A drunk driver, a dodgy radio, and the good decency to explode into a fireball with perfect comedy timing. What a bus. Shame it went bang really.

Rodney's Roller

Rolls Royce Silver Spirit

Top speed: 120mph

When the Trotters became millionaires Rodney bought at least two cars that we know of. A Jaguar XK8, and more famously a Roller for his brother, complete with the number plate DEL 1. The purchase of the latter nicely cues up Del's Nags Head punch line, "I'll buy the sandwiches, cos you bought the Rolls." However, in hindsight it was actually a bit tight of Rodney to buy a second hand car.

Image: YouTube