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Gavin & Stacey motors join on-screen icons display

Beaulieu A red lettered slogan on the rear windscreen of a blue car reads: "If your husband won't do it I will... Tilin, Roofin, Plasterin, & Feng Shui"Beaulieu
Smithy's Volvo, with its memorable slogan, features in the reopened exhibition

Three iconic cars from Gavin & Stacey have joined an exhibition of memorable film and TV motors.

Gavin's blue Citroën Saxo VTS, which he used to drive between Essex and Barry Island in Wales, and Smithy's Volvo 850S Estate have gone on display at Beaulieu, the home of the National Motor Museum.

Completing the trio at the refurbished On Screen Cars exhibition in Hampshire is Uncle Bryn's reliable Citroën Xsara Picasso, which the character promised he would drive "until the day I die".

The hit sitcom, created by James Corden and Ruth Jones, officially ended with a grand finale Christmas Day episode last year.

Beaulieu A blue Citroen Saxo is seen from the rear, lined up behind a dark blue Volvo and a yellow vehicle even further along in the distanceBeaulieu
Gavin's Citroen Saxo featured heavily in the show

The show began in 2007 and followed the story of a girl from south Wales and a boy from Essex who fell in love, and the ups and downs of their worlds colliding.

Gavin's Citroën Saxo was a recurring presence and is a "nostalgic nod to early noughties car culture" for fans of the show and motoring in general, said Beaulieu.

Beaulieu A light blue Citroen Picasso is parked next to a white wallBeaulieu
Uncle Bryn's Picasso that is on display is one of three models used in the long-running sitcom

Smithy's Volvo was used for his job as a handyman in Billericay, Essex, and bore the slogan "If your husband won't do it – I will…" on the back.

Fans will also remember it as the backdrop to Smithy's 2008 Christmas special rendition of Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas?.

It also featured in a sketch for Comic Relief in 2011, when James Corden, in character as Smithy, transported singer George Michael to the studio in the first ever Carpool Karaoke.

As for Uncle Bryn's Picasso, there were three models used during the series - the one on display at Beaulieu featured in series three.

The three cars join a list of other memorable vehicles in the exhibition, including the bewitched blue Ford Anglia from Harry Potter and the Chambers of Secrets, Del Boy's Reliant van from Only Fools and Horses, James Bond's Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day and Mr Bean's Mini.

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