By 1992, Proton was the UK’s fastest-growing automotive brand and was outselling SEAT. The last Saga departed the factory in 2008 after 1.2 million units, and today Coupland owns a trio of pioneering first-generation models.
This Black Knight’s original owner garaged it in 1993, and it only re-emerged in 2017.
Coupland became G82 YVT’s third owner two years later, unable to resist the lure of its decals. He finds it very enjoyable to drive, with excellent suspension, although as the Black Knight is entry-level GL-based, there is no power-assisted steering. In 2021 it achieved the accolade of ‘Concours de l’Ordinaire’ at Hagerty Insurance’s Festival of the Unexceptional. Many visitors to the Grimsthorpe Castle grounds were reputedly mesmerized by its ultra-grey interior and orange stripes.
And last year, the Royal Automobile Club displayed the Black Knight at their London headquarters. Coupland explains, “The Festival of The Unexceptional team asked me if they could borrow it. Normally the RAC display elite and unique cars, but they thought it would be fun and certainly different to showcase the Black Knight. It is the very first, and probably the last Proton ever to be displayed there.”