Wheeler Dealers: Makers of classic car TV show have vintage Ford Fiesta stolen from outside their Yorkshire hotel

The presenters of Wheeler Dealers, Mike Brewer and Marc Priestley, have appealed for help finding the vintage MK1 Ford Fiesta which was taken from outside the Premier Inn in Knottingley where the duo were staying overnight earlier this week.

Mike has posted on social media: “I dare to say that we've possibly built the best Mk1 Ford Fiesta in this country - it really is this good. This has been a nuts and bolts restoration. We hope that, somehow, the classic car community can come together and find our car.

"We urge you to share those pictures and get them out to as many people as possible in the hope that the classic car community can come together and we can find our trailer and find our car and finish this epic show.”

Wheeler Dealers is a long-running TV series that sees classic cars in need of repair being bought to restore, with the aim of selling them for profit once complete. Now in its 20th year, the show has been working on a special 1979 Ford Fiesta 1300S to mark the anniversary, while also helping to celebrate the imminent end of the production of the best-selling Ford hatchback.

The car which was stolen was the latest project for the show and was scheduled to be displayed at The Motorist car show, which sees hundreds of cars from across the country showcased to car enthusiasts.

The dark blue Ford Fiesta 1300S (registration JBY 10V) was due to make a special appearance at an event at The Motorist car cafe near Leeds yesterday (Jun 27) where it would have been assembled alongside 500 other Ford Fiestas in the show’s biggest event.

Marc said: "We are heartbroken and it's a car that deserves to be out there for the world to see, not squirrelled away on the back of some thief's trailer.”

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "The theft was reported to have occurred between 11.30pm on Jun 26 and 8am on Jun 27, when it was reported to the police. Enquiries are ongoing."