Bangers4BEN sale at BCA raises £26,550
BCA staged a special sale of Bangers4BEN cars at Blackbushe on Friday, 30th October to raise money for BEN – the UK’s dedicated charity for those who are working or have worked in the automotive industry. All the cars sold, and a substantial £26,550 was raised for the charity, pushing the total raised by Bangers4BEN this year to over £45,000.
All the cars on offer had competed in the annual Car Dealer Bangers4BEN Rally which challenged teams of drivers to cover hundreds of miles across Europe in cars that cost no more than £750 to buy.
Many of the vehicles were customised and included a Ghostbusters car, two fake DeLoreans from the Back to the Future films, a Star Wars themed Audi A4 convertible and a fantastic recreation of The Trotters Independent Traders 3-wheeled van from Only Fools and Horses. Several kind-hearted BCA customers also donated vehicles to the cause, raising additional funds.
A large crowd of buyers attended the sale and bidding was fast and furious throughout, with online bidders also competing via BCA’s Live Online service.
Top seller was 1995 Mitsubishi FTO, donated by Prestige Diesels and sold for £2,500. The 1991 Volkswagen Scirocco 1.8 GT decked out as the DeLorean from Back to the Future, sold for £2,400 and was brought back by Caralot from Derby who had donated it to the sale. The Volvo 960 Stretch Limo sold for £1,150 while Trotters’ Reliant Robin van realised a cushty £900. Several cars were purchased and then donated straight back into the sale by BCA customers, to be sold again to raise even more for the charity.
BCA sold the cars free of charge to ensure the maximum was raised for the charity and donated all the buyer’s fees to the cause.
‘We were delighted to support the excellent Bangers4BEN initiative for another year and, thanks to the generosity of our customers, we were able to raise a substantial sum for BEN.’ said BCA’s head of PR, Tim Naylor. ‘Congratulations are due to the Car Dealer Magazine team for staging the event and all the competitors for taking part in the rally and donating the vehicles to be sold.’
Naylor added, ‘BEN is the UK’s only dedicated charity for those who are working or have worked in the automotive industry and their family dependents. The charity provides support in areas such as information and advice, money matter, care and rehabilitation for those who need it.’
Kelly Neal, events and exhibitions manager, BEN commented, ‘Thanks to the support of Car Dealer Magazine, Silverstone, BMW Group, Spa-Francorchamps and, of course, the participants themselves, this year’s Bangers4BEN was truly memorable. In total, over £45,000 was raised for BEN through fundraising, donations and this very well supported auction at BCA, making this year’s event the most successful to date.’
