'One-of-a-kind' wooden car sells for £2.5k at auction in Bath

A rare car that was made out of wood by a teacher 35 years ago has sold for £2,500 at an auction in Bath.

The 1988 six-wheeled Hustler was built over three summer holidays in the mid-1980s by John Brazier, a former woodwork and metalwork teacher in Bristol.

He said: "I feel a bit sad that I'm going to lose it, but I'm happy that it's going to somebody who hopefully will cherish it, work on it, and bring it back to a really good condition."

Mr Brazier was inspired to make the unique vehicle after coming across some basic design drawings of a Hustler car in a magazine in 1985.

He had been an engineer at Rolls-Royce before becoming a teacher at Brislington Comprehensive in Bristol, and had helped worked on Concorde.

The unique wooden car passed its first MOT on April Fools Day in 1988, and was used as the family car for more than 13 years.

Recently, illness has been stopping Mr Brazier from driving the car, which is why he decided to sell it.

Though it hasn't been driven for 20 years, he said he's hoping to see it on the road again soon.

"I hope that somebody will do a little bit of work on it, and then they can drive it around and let other people enjoy looking at it," Mr Brazier said.

Hustlers were kit cars designed by William Towns, who also created the angular Aston Martin Lagonda.

He sold the plans outlining how to build the cars from his home in Gloucestershire.

Most Hustlers were made out of fibreglass, and it is believed fewer than 100 wooden cars made it onto the roads.

With each car having to be hand built by its owner, the surviving examples are all unique.

Mr Brazier attended the auction, and said it attracted interest from all over the world.

He said the sale went "very smoothly" and that he is looking forward to meeting the buyer.