Gene Hunts Actual Audi Quattro From BBC's Ashes to Ashes Series - 100% Genuine!

I can't believe I'm saying this but. .

You are looking at

Gene Hunts Audi Quattro from the series Ashes to Ashes

This is not a look-a-like. not a replica. nbsp;

not an imposter but the 100% genuine real deal

1983 Audi Quattro UR 2. 1 Turbo used in the show 

as driven by Phil Glenister & Keeley Hawes

And the very car that inspired the words “Fire Up the Quattro!”

This is a unique opportunity to own one of the most instantly recognisable. iconic cars ever to appear on television. /span>

 a car that played a massive part in the resurgence of interest in the 80's and so important to the show that the BBC even

 list it as one of the characters on the Ashes to Ashes website.

http://www. bbc. co. uk/ashestoashes/characters/quattro. shtml

Such is the status of this car that Corgi have even produced a scale model of it complete with bullet holes

 putting it up there with some of the most famous and distinguished cars of all time.

http://www. ehattons. com/images/products/CC02799_1045749_Qty1_1. jpg

First of all here is a brief recent history of the car taken from the laminates 

that accompany the it when it's been displayed at shows. exhibitions etc

In August 2008 Action Cars. my employer. were asked to take over the supply of prop vehicles on the second series of Ashes to Ashes.   During our first meeting with the Kudos art department it came to light that they had lost a lot of production time on the first series waiting for the car APH 55Y to be rigged between the interior and exterior shots of the so we discussed the viability of having a second Quattro. the biggest benefit being that they could rig one with cameras. lights. & sound while shooting on the other. additionally this would also mean that they had a back up in case of any problems.   There was also a rumour from the writers that however the show was going to end. the Quattro would go out with a bang. although no one had any idea how this would happen or if it would be filmed in continuity order. so another Quattro was almost certainly going to be required. As a result my first job on the production would be to source a double for the car used on series one. preferably with a sunroof as it would make lighting the interior and  running cables easier.

After looking at a few cars advertised in the trade magazines and on the internet I finally found HWX 930Y near in Sevenoaks in Kent.   I went to view the car on the 2nd September 2008 and after a quick look round and a test drive the deal was done.

There were a number of differences between the two cars. firstly the colour. APH had been painted BMW Henna Red for the first series and HWX was Audi Mars Red so we immediately started prepping the car for an external colour change.   As requested HWX had a sunroof. but it also had a twin exhaust. the fade out Audi rings on the doors. and an ariel.   To get better continuity between the two we fitted a sunroof rubber to the roof of APH. welded a second dummy pipe to the back box. got some solid rings made to match those on APH and removed the ariel.   The wheels on APH were not as wide but rather than buy a new set the art department said we should leave them as is and swap them between the two cars if it became a problem.

HWX first went out filming on the 18th September 08 when it was used for the Children in Need  ”Top Gear Meets Ashes to Ashes” where the Ashes Cast did a sketch with Richard Hammond.   The interior shots were all done with HWX and the exteriors with the other.

Its first day filming on Ashes to Ashes was 20th September 08 on the episode “Death of a Princess” although it was originally scheduled that day  for interiors. during the  rehearsals the stunt driver on the day actually preferred the stock cabled handbrake of HWX over the hydraulic one fitted to APH so both cars were used for both interior & exterior shots after that with the wheels being swapped when the whole car was in vision.

After featuring in all 8 episodes on the series it was used for various press engagements and starred in the series promo directed by Julian Temple and was then serviced and stored so it would be ready for the final series.

In August 09 the car was used in the series  “The Impressions Show” starring comedy impressionist  Jon Culshaw. where he performed several sketches as Gene Hunt popping up in various historic scenarios. nbsp; “Ashes to Austen”. “Ashes to Robin Hood”. “Ashes to Agatha Christy” & “Ashes to Midsomer Murders”.

September 10th 09 was the first day of filming on the final series HWX was solely used for the opening scene chasing a Ford Capri through Battersea power station. nbsp; selected over APH as it was more structurally sound and this was important as it would be required to do a jump.   With this in mind it was fitted with a sump guard and urethane bump stops on the shock absorbers.  

Throughout series three the writers had intimated that the Quattro would meet a spectacular end but as the finale was a closely guarded secret we were not made aware of how this scene would be filmed until two weeks before the shoot day.   The original concept was that it would be shot at a couple of times and then explode in a ball of flames. however as we were using a live airfield as the location this turned out to be impossible for safety reasons . As the director wanted to leave the viewer in doubt that the car was “dead” and as he was unable to have the explosion. a meeting was held  to discuss with SFX where the director would want the bullet holes and how many he'd like. nbsp; the car was parked in its final position with the drivers door open and the relevant crew  were stood around where the gun men would be. SFX were told he wanted hits on every panel and part that could be seen from this position. when asked how many. he replied. “Shot to pieces. so as many as we can afford!”

And so after appearing in all 16 episodes of series 2 & 3. on the 6th of February 2010 HWX rolled into RAF Northolt in West London and onto an Ashes to Ashes set for the last time. Rigged with 46 bullet hits. flash & smoke effects. It finally bowed out in a hail of blank gunfire to a round of applause from the cast & crew.

Post filming it was covered up and taken back to the Action Cars workshop where it was kept under wraps at the request of the production so as not give away its fate.   Kudos were so determined not let the secrets of the shows final episode out that anyone coming into contact with the car had to sign a confidentiality agreement. but despite their best efforts photos of the car still made it into the tabloid newspapers on the day that the last episode aired although it's believed that these must have been leaked by Kudos or the BBC in order to drum up interest in the show as they were quite obviously stills taken from the actual footage shot at the time.

The writers of the show asked if they could have a bullet ridden door each so they were removed. and then the car sat in storage for 8 months until Kudos gave permission for it to be disposed of. As the value could not be correctly determined they asked for an amount based on the price of the second hand components that were still salvageable.

Because of the overall condition of the car our first thoughts were to simply break it up and sell off anything of value. however as the person charged with taking care of the car and after spending 2 years on set with it. and with my heart ruled my head & I decided to buy it myself and keep it as close to original as possible. I sourced some replacement doors. replaced the broken glass and lacquered the bare metal where the paint is missing around the bullet holes but it's pretty much as it was the day it finished on the show.   Since then it's done several car shows. classic events and exhibitions and always turns heads even when placed amongst some of the worlds most fantastic automobiles.

Gene Hunts Quattro was recently voted second in a pole of the most recognizable cars on British TV. ahead of Morses Jag and just behind Del Boys Reliant Van. but it does have the distinction of being the only car to have spawned its own catchphrase. “Fire up the Quattro”. and if I had a Pound for every time that's been shouted at me in a traffic jam I could afford an R8!  

Ok so here's what you're bidding on. please read the following very carefully because you're bidding to buy and I'd rather clear up any uncertainties now rather than later once the auction closes.

First of all. and this is important. the registration number you see on the car in the photos is the reg used in the programme. it's not the actual reg of this car (that belongs to a Nissan Cherry or something). nbsp; the cars real life plates are HWX 930Y.   I should be able to supply you with the “Show Plates” as featured on TV if you want to display them with the vehicle. but you will not be allowed to use them on the road.

Secondly. although the car starts first time. it drives & stops as you'd expect a 30 year old car with 106k miles to. I am listing this as a spares or repair as it hasn't had an MOT since August 2009. that said it's only done 117 miles since then but that was quite hard mileage and there was the little matter of it being shot up by Eastern European gangsters. so obviously I can't give any warranty or guarantees as to it's mechanical or overall condition.  I see it more as a show or exhibition car but I'm sure in the right hands it could be returned to the road.   It has been sat for nearly 18 months now. I put a new battery on it and got it cleaned up for these photos but it definitely could use a service. plugs leads and an oil & filter change in the near future.

Please don't think this is a concourse car. its not! It's an ex film car that has been driven hard. jumped. crashed through stuff and shot up by special effects men so after all that it needs more than a little TLC. With this in mind and in the interests of honesty I have taken a lot of photos trying to show the whole car. please study them carefully along with the following which is my attempt at trying to list its flaws.  There are more photos here of how the car looked yesterday and a few from the past.  http://www. flickr. com/photos/116954287@N03/

In order to make it look like it was in the middle of a shoot out in the finale' the front bumper. grille & badge were cut in half so they would fall off (now cobbled back on but still in 2 pieces). a piece of angle iron was welded to the underside of the bonnet to push it open. the o/s Headlight glass was broken (now replaced) various cowels and covers were removed under the bonnet to accommodate the wiring. Some of the switches on the dash. the dashboard to the left of the instrument cluster. the passenger headrest. passenger sun visor. and both front seats had “squibs” (small bullet hit effects) placed in them so were all damaged by either the installation or the implementation of these effects.

The windscreen. rear screen. drivers door glass and passenger quarter glass were all broken but I have replaced them to keep it watertight.   The doors are missing a number of internal components. most annoyingly is the absence of the check links which means the door swing open much wider than they were designed to and could catch on the wings.   The interior plastic door handles are missing so I have temporarily connected cable ties to the rods so that the doors can be opened from inside.   The drivers electric window works but the passenger one doesn't. I think there is part of the loom missing inside the door.   The boot carpet. spare wheel & jack are also missing. Along with a few bits of trim around the n/s door and quarter glasses.   The n/s rear lamp was damaged by the fake bullet hits along with the n/s front indicator and the o/s front fog lamp. (I have cobbled them back together but they would need replacing if you wanted to return it to the road) It has a dent just behind the petrol flap on the n/s quarter panel. this is where the SFX did a test with the bullet hole effect.

And of course there's the bullet holes you can see in the photos. people often asked why I didn't fill and repaint them. my reply has always been that if I did that then it'd just be another red Quattro.   Of all the hundreds of people that have posed for photographs in front of this car 99% of them opt for the passenger side. cause that's where the action is.

As you can see it scrubs up well. as Gene Hunt would say it's all Mink coat and no Knickers. I've tried to give a detailed and accurate description but I would urge anyone wanting to bid to come and view the car in person before the auction closes. have a look round it. hear it running etc. To this end I am going to make the car available between 10:30am & 3:00pm  to anyone who wishes to see it first hand on Saturday15th Feb in Iver. SL0 0AY. just off the M25 at junction 16.   You are welcome to come down and have a look but please message me first to let me know youre coming and roughly what time and I will reply with details on exactly where to meet.

In all honesty I love this car I'm only selling it because I've left the industry and these days I no longer have facilities to work on. or store her anymore and so reluctantly I have to say good bye. it wont be an easy parting though especially knowing I'll no longer be the only person who can actually Fire up “The Quattro” as opposed to those who fire just fire up a quattro!

There's only 2 of these genuine Ashes to Ashes Quattro's in the world. one was last seen rotting away outside BBC TV centre and this is the other.   Don't miss your chance to own this truly iconic car. vehicles this significant rarely come up on the open market so this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I've got lots of photos of the cars preparation and some of it “off set” and behind the cameras which I will pass on. along with a letter guaranteeing that this is Gene Hunts Ashes to Ashes Quattro. I'm also including a few press cuttings. the prop radio mike on the dash. Genes 1982 road atlas. and a spare ECU in case of emergencies.

So if you're a fan of the show. a fan of Quattro's. or a fan of cars. if you're looking for a show stopping piece for a collection. museum. exhibition or show room then this is for you.

Any questions please ask but please bear in mind I'm only able to reply eves and weekends as I'm not in front of a computer during work hours but I will get back to you as soon as I can.

I have no idea of value which is why I'm offering it here. this is a genuine auction. there is no “Buy it Now” price. I won't end the auction early no matter how many times you ask. if you want it bid on it and if you're the highest bidder when the hammer comes down its yours.

I have a 100% feedback record so bid with confidence.

UK bidders only.

Anyone with a score of less than 20 feedbacks must contact me before bidding with contact details or I will cancel those bids.

Although it drives this car will need collection on a trailer. or low loader. it needs to be picked up (From Iver. West of London - Junc 16 of the M25) please make sure you have the ability to transport it home and possess the funds required to pay for it.

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