Description
This is a 1986 Austin Montego Vanden Plas with 53, 500 miles. It has 12 months MOT and is now 40 years old, so it qualifies for Historic Vehicle status and will be exempt from MOT and road tax once registered. The original registration number is included with the car.
The car was supplied locally when new and stayed with the same family from 1986 until we bought it in 2024. The previous owner used it as his everyday car until 2021 and looked after it regardless of cost.
It is a good, usable and honest car rather than a concours example. The body is straight and the interior is in good condition for its age.
There are some jobs for the next owner to attend to. The bonnet paint has faded and the rear driver’s side pinstripe is starting to come away.
The wood-effect door trim panels have started to delaminate with age. They remain fitted to the doors but the layers of the trim are beginning to separate and would benefit from being repaired or refurbished.
The passenger electric window is currently stuck closed. It was working during the summer and the motor can still be heard operating, so it may simply be the glass sticking in the runner or a problem with the mechanism.
The driver’s seatbelt buckle casing has become brittle and broken up and will need attention.
The MOT has also noted that a CV gaiter is starting to perish.
The car originally had metric wheels, which can make finding reasonably priced replacement tyres difficult. It now has a set of MG imperial wheels fitted, which are included in the sale along with the original wheels. The imperial wheels give the next owner a much wider choice of readily available and affordable tyres.
The car has been dry stored over the winter during our ownership and SORNed during the colder months.
Everything above is mentioned deliberately. I’d rather a buyer knows about the jobs before viewing the car. They are all things that can be worked through by someone who enjoys owning and improving an older car.
The simple reason we have enjoyed owning this car is that it is different.
You don’t see many Montegos anymore, and a Vanden Plas is rarer still. According to the unofficial Montego Vanden Plas register, only 13 cars were listed when we bought ours, so there can’t be many left.
We’ve owned it for two years and have used it for local trips, classic car meets and shows. It has been a proper family classic rather than something that sits permanently in a garage, and it always gets people talking.
The Vanden Plas has all the things that make an ordinary 1980s family car much more interesting today – velour trim, electric windows, a sunroof, the Vanden Plas interior details, original wheel trims and the general feel of a top-of-the-range British family car from the period.
It is also a genuine survivor. It hasn’t been turned into something it wasn’t. It still has its original character, original registration number and a known history going right back to when it was supplied locally in 1986.
There is also something quite enjoyable about having a classic that you can actually use. You don’t have to worry about every little mark or spend your weekends polishing something that never leaves the garage.
There are jobs to do, but that’s part of the appeal for us. The delaminated door trim, faded bonnet, window and other small jobs give a hobbyist plenty to get stuck into and improve at their own pace, without needing to take on a major restoration.
We’re only selling because we’re looking towards our next family adventure. We’ve had a great time with Monty and would like to see it go to someone who appreciates how unusual these cars have become and will continue to enjoy it.
At £5, 750, this is an opportunity to own a 53, 500-mile Montego Vanden Plas that you simply don’t see anymore.
