Motoring Magic for Lucky Car Winner
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A Leighton pensioner was dealt the shock of a lifetime on Friday, after he was told that he’d won an £85,000 Aston Martin V8 and £10,000 in cash. Roderick Barley, 71, of Rannock Gardens, took a punt on a spot-the-ball competition for the haul when passing through Gatwick Airport en-route to Spain and just ten days later he was surprised with his winnings. Roderick Barley was surprised with the supercar at his home After opening the door to Best of the Best CEO WIlliam Hindmarch, Roderick asked whether it was a wind-up but he was quickly left in no doubt after being taken outside to find an Aston Martin waiting there. Though it was not the model the 71-year-old is due to receive he was given a chance to give the engine a rev, before being taken to the boot which contained £10,000 in cash. Despite the shock visit, which Roderick’s wife Rose helped set up with Mr Hindmarch, the pensioner revealed he’d had a premonition of winning the competition. He said: “I know it sounds really strange, but I just had a gut feeling that I was going to win. Call it a sixth sense or whatever, but I’ve always been a bit that way. My dad was too.” Roderick revealed his fascination with Aston Martins formed when a friend bought a DB4. He added: “I’ve always been the lucky one in the family. Whether it’s playing cards or playing to win a car, somehow I’ve always come out on top. “It’s a dream come true, a real dream come true.” Best of the Best holds competitions for dream cars every two weeks and since launching in 1999 it has handed over the keys to more than £15m worth of motors. Mr Hindmarch said: “It’s always wonderful to surprise people with their dream car because they’re completely and utterly gobsmacked, “But Roderick was pretty calm because he believed he always was going to win which made this surprise completely different to the rest. “Our winners are from all walks of life and all corners of the earth but they all have one thing in common – a love of cars. “We know Roderick is really going to enjoy this because they don’t come much better than an Aston Martin!”