1989 412 Pickup

This modified '412' was built by the London Supercar Workshop to feature in the 'Ultimate Wheels’ television series in 2013.

The car was an exhibit at the now defunct London Motor Museum for several years.

It is offered for sale on instruction of a high court ruling.

‘X Elo’ and Will, the show’s hosts, created the conversion by chopping off the rear seats and sliding the C-pillars forward to create a bed in the back.

Mindful of the fact that it was such a prestigious car, they respectfully (we use that word cautiously) fitted out its new ‘pick-up’ section with the kind of teak decking normally found on yachts.

Googling this creation reveals that it garnered quite a bit of attention back in the day - the InterWeb is liberally spattered with images of it in various poses and situations.

There’s no tailgate to the teak bed, but the conversion did include beefed-up rear suspension, presumably to help with the extra weight of bags of cement, bricks, scaffold poles and other things not normally seen sticking out of the back of a car like this.

The 4.9-litre V12 engine of the 412 was removed. Apparently, it had been a source of endless trouble to the owner at the time, hence the car’s availability at a price that made this kind of whimsical conversion a relatively affordable indulgence.

This is no gutless shell, however. The V12 may be long gone but, in its place, is a perfectly respectable 5.7-litre small-block Chevy V8, mated to the original GM Turbo-Hydra-Matic three-speed automatic transmission.

We haven’t started or driven the car so can’t say anything about its performance, dynamics, electrics or viability as a road-going vehicle.

The pickup boasts a switchable exhaust system to allow stealthy or loud driving. It also has an adjustable ram-air scoop that can retract into the bonnet.

A full respray was carried out in 2013, changing the colour from black to red. There is a huge Bang & Olufsen outdoor speaker under one of the removable teak deck panels.

The bodywork and paint are in pretty good condition, as befits a vehicle that’s sat in a museum for much of the last decade. There are a few scratches here and there but, aesthetically at least, it appears largely untroubled by time or use.

The wheels seem decent and the most of the trim and badging appears to be present and ‘correct’.

We have no other 412 builders’ vans to compare it with so it’s difficult to say if this is a ‘good example’ of the model.

The cabin is mostly original. The two front seats are clad in the original creamy white leather, but certain modifications are in evidence, notably the new stereo deck in the centre console and a more modern-looking steering wheel.

We can’t make any claims about the functionality of switches, knobs, levers, toggles, buttons, dials or other electrics as we haven’t been able to start the vehicle.

Lifting up the carpets here or elsewhere in the pickup reveals some superficial rust dust but nothing that would cause alarm bells to ring, as far as we can see.

We can’t see anything that overly troubles us either underneath or in the engine bay.

Clearly, you’ll want to see for yourself and reach your own conclusion.

We know it’s been in a ‘museum’ for quite a few years and we know that it has been a running, working vehicle at some point in the not-too-distant past.

The car has neither a current MoT certificate nor any history or service records.

Well, it doesn’t have its original engine but at least half of this car is, technically, original.

It is not just rare, it is unique.

It seems to be in pretty good condition. Providing that the engine and mechanicals prove to be as decent as the bodywork, this could be a lot of fun for not a great deal of money.

And you’ll be the talk of the garden centre when you pull up in this and start loading bags of compost and bedding plants into the back of it.

We are happy to offer this vehicle for auction with no reserve and an estimate in the range of £10,000 - £12,000.

The car is located at a secure storage facility in Northampton; it is not possible to view the car before the auction end. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’