Vintage Flambards Blitz Car Set for Truro Auction
The Heart of Helston and the Loss of Flambards
For over four decades, Flambards Theme Park was the crown jewel of family entertainment in Helston, making its sudden closure in late 2024 a profound loss for the Cornish community. Among its most beloved features was the immersive ‘Britain in the Blitz' exhibition, which brought wartime history to life for generations of local schoolchildren and visitors. Now, one of the exhibition's most recognizable landmarks—a vibrant yellow 1930 Austin Seven Tourer—is preparing to find a new home. This classic vintage car, registered as Z 3544, represents more than just steel and rubber; it is a tangible piece of our shared local heritage. For local families, a trip to Flambards was once as essential to a Cornish childhood as a sunny afternoon spent on Fistral Beach. Whether you were a local resident or a holidaymaker deciding to go to Newquay and make the scenic drive down to Helston, the park was a staple of the West Country experience. Watching these historical artifacts get dispersed across the country is a bittersweet moment for our community, forcing us to reckon with the changing landscape of local tourism and heritage preservation.
The Auction at Truro and the Car's Rich History
The historic vehicle is scheduled to go under the hammer at the Lodge and Thomas salesroom, located on Newquay Road in Truro, during their upcoming Antiques and Fine Art sale on May 28 and 29. As a cornerstone of our local business scene, the auction house expects immense interest from Cornish collectors and motoring enthusiasts alike. The story of this particular Austin Seven Tourer is deeply intertwined with local industry. It was originally purchased in 1978 by the late Ivan Kessell, a well-known local figure behind Kessell's Volvo, who painstakingly restored the vehicle. During the restoration, its original maroon paint was swapped for a cheerful yellow. Shortly after, in the early 1980s, the Kessell family loan-placed the car at Flambards, where it remained on display for forty years. Now offered directly by the Kessell family after decades of ownership, the car is presented in good condition, though it will require sympathetic restoration and standard safety checks before it can return to Cornish roads. The sale offers a rare opportunity for a local buyer to keep this piece of motoring history within the county.
What This Means for Cornwall's Heritage and What to Watch Next
The sale of the Austin Seven is part of a wider, emotional dismantling of Flambards' legendary exhibits following its permanent closure due to rising costs. Last year, the famed Victorian Village attraction was sold in its entirety and relocated to Kynren in County Durham, meaning a massive chunk of our regional history was shipped upcountry. Other prized relics, including a Concorde cockpit, have already been auctioned off to private collectors. For Cornish residents, the upcoming auction at Lodge and Thomas serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of local cultural assets. If you want to witness this piece of history find its next guardian, or perhaps place a bid yourself, you can visit the salesroom in Truro or view the online catalogue. Whether you live locally or plan to go to Newquay for the weekend, keeping an eye on these auctions is a great way to support the preservation of our regional story. Local residents can register to bid or attend the public viewing days ahead of the late May auction to see this classic vehicle one last time.
Source: Absolute classic vintage car from beloved Flambards' is up for sale
