Wallace and Gromit Promotional Film Vehicle

The promotional film vehicle, a true on the road replica of the model Austin A35 featured in Wallace & Gromit's first big screen adventure, the  was the result of a collaboration between the International Austin A30/A35 Register (Flying-A.net) and Aardman Animation Ltd.  Their vegetarian horror movie, Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, opened Worldwide in the autumn of 2005.

The idea for the vehicle was conceived almost a year earlier by Mark & David Armé, founders of the International Austin A30/A35 Register. Following months of negotiation, Aardman approved the concept and an intensive 500 hour build began. Completed in just six weeks, the vehicle was first restored to ensure durability, then deliberately beaten to reproduce the marks, dents and scrapes seen in the movie.

The original vehicle. Fairly sound and a ripe for restoration

Work is underway.

An amazing six week, 500 man hour reshaping in progress

The finished vehicle on the move for presenting to Nick Park at Aardman

On 17 May 2005 the vehicle was presented to Wallace & Gromit creator, Nick Park, who was thrilled and delighted to see the full size vehicle, before going on to its public launch at the Annual Rally of the Austin A30/A35 Owners Club later the same month.

Purists will quickly notice that, as in the film, the vehicle carries a 1953 tax disk yet is a 1964 model van. The famous HOP 21T registration plate is a 1978 issue. And of course, the side lights are missing. In Nick's honour, being a Preston born chap, the tax disk bears the colour 'Preston Green', a name chosen by Matt Perry, Art Director for the movie, and Mark Armé.

Little is known about the vehicle used for the replica. It was sourced from a gipsy camp in near Chesterfield, Derbyshire following a news article in the Derbyshire Times about dog noise from the camp. David's eagle eye spotted the nose of the van protruding from behind a hedge within the camp within the photograph. A few days later, a deal was done and we had our donor vehicle. Rather amazingly, the van was first registered to an address in Filton, Bristol - just a mile from where location of the Aardman studios where the film was shot.

After the Leicester Square film premiere, the vehicle covered over 2,000 miles across the UK, attending many promotional events and exhibitions by the International Austin A30/A35 Register, owners of the vehicle, and Aardman Animation Ltd together with various Aardman partners as part of the promotion for the film.

Safely stored in secure storage at a secret location

The finished vehicle, seen from the rear ...

... and the front

Out in public for the first time. Launched at the Austin A30/A35 Owners Club Rally

Images © 2005 Mark Armé / E&J Armé-White / Flying-A.net

Produced by the UK's Aardman ("Chicken Run") with backing by DreamWorks SKG ("Shrek", "SharkTale"), the comedy adventure marks the first feature-length outing for the much-loved clay-animated duo.

Released in Autumn 2005, Wallace and Gromit - Curse of the WereRabbit sees "vege-mania" hit Wallace and Gromit's neighbourhood in the run up to the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, hosted by beautiful heiress Lady Tottington. Our intrepid chums have been cashing in as elite pest-control duo "Anti-pesto" and business is booming until an unexplained, nocturnal, veg-ravaging rabbit monster begins attacking the town's sacred vegetable plots, putting the future of the competition in jeopardy. Will Wallace & Gromit rise to the occasion, or will Lady Tottington¹s arrogant suitor - staunch blood sports fanatic, Victor Quartermaine, step in to save the day?

Joining Peter Sallis (the voice of Wallace), are some of the UK's most versatile and talented actors, including Helena Bonham Carter ("Planet of the Apes") as the voice of beautiful and wealthy spinster, Lady Companula Tottington, Ralph Fiennes ("English Patient") as the proud and pompous, Lord Victor Quartermaine, comedian Peter Kay ("Phoenix Nights") as P.C Mackintosh and "Cold Feet's" John Thompson as Reverend Clement Hedges.

Wallace and Gromit - Curse of the WereRabbit is a Dreamworks/Aardman Production, written by Nick Park and directed by Nick Park and Steve Box.

Fans of Wallace & Gromit can find them online at www.wallaceandgromit.com