The Vauxhall Astra that was used for BBC’s Top Gear during the Star in a Reasonable Priced Car segment has gone up for auction for a second time after a sale fell through for it.
Originally, the Top Gear Astra was put on sale on eBay near the end of last year, and raised £17,800 for the automotive industry charity BEN.
However, it’s now emerged that the sale seemingly never went through and the Astra has now been made available again on eBay. The Vauxhall Astra being auctioned is a previous-generation hatchback in the Tech Line trim and comes with 17-inch alloy wheels and a 115bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine.
The car's history
The Astra was introduced to Top Gear’s Reasonably Priced Car segment back in 2013 and was used up until the format hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May came to an abrupt end last year.
While Top Gear will return later this year with new presenters, the chance to own a car used on the previous format is always likely to attract petrolhead fans of the show. The Top Gear Astra does come with some drawbacks, however, which potential new bidders should consider.
Modifications needed
For one thing, the airbags in this Astra don’t work, as they were disabled to allow the Top Gear production crew to fit a roll cage inside. That means that in its current state, the Astra can’t be used legally on the road. Vauxhall technicians will help the Astra’s new owner in making it road-worthy again, but it won’t be either a quick or cheap process.
On the plus side, the Astra has only covered 2,908 miles and comes with racing seats with a five-point safety belt harness, along with sat-nav, a seven-inch colour monitor, Bluetooth connectivity and a digital radio.
For the successful bidder, the Top Gear Astra also comes with the knowledge that it has previously been driven by famous names like Tom Hiddleston, Aaron Paul, Hugh Jackman, Margot Robbie and Will Smith.
