Don’t keep asking him why, Reg, it just happens to be that year

It’s the end of an era: John Shuttleworth is selling his Austin Ambassador Y-Reg.

The car – which he immortalised in song – is going under the hammer at North Yorkshire auctioneer Mathewsons this week.

Shuttleworth released the track in 1996 and it has been a much-loved staple of his act ever since. Although the model that featured in the  video and BBC sketches was scrapped long ago, the character’s creator,  Graham Fellows bought another for himself, which is what is being sold this week.

Fellows described the provenance of the car on classic car website AROnline, explaining that the second car ‘can be seen in my travelogue It’s Nice Up North, where I venture to the northernmost parts of the UK, to test a theory that people get nicer the further north you go in this country. 

‘The Ambassador needed some repairs on that trip, but these were undertaken by a very reasonably priced and pleasant rural garage – further evidence indeed that it’s nicer up North.’

 Mathewsons put an estimate of £1,750 to £2,750 on the car, which is being auctioned off tomorrow, with online bids being taken here.

AROnline said: ‘This Austin Ambassador isn’t just any old classic in hearing-aid beige. It’s a genuine slice of light entertainment history. Immortalised in Shuttleworth’s cult favourite song Austin Ambassador Y-Reg, the car has become as much a part of his act as his Yamaha keyboard and low-voltage garage door.’

Speaking one the cult track they add: ‘Delivered with loving irony and obsessive detail, the song captured the unremarkable charm of British Leyland’s ill-fated hatchback – and made it an unlikely star. The lyrics captured both the earnestness and eccentricity of a car only Shuttleworth could elevate to pop-culture stardom.’

Originally registered in January 1983, the car features brown cloth trim, and has been refurbished by Fellows – although the MoT ran out in 2023.

Here’s the auctioneer’s video of the car:

Based in the village of Thornton Le Dale, Mathewsons was featured in the Yesterday TV series Bangers & Cash, narrated by comic Toby Foster.

Published: 21 May 2025