Sam Spencer wrote off his last car after attending a Hull City game
05:00, 09 Jul 2026
Hull City fan Sam Spencer prepares to drive away in the Vauxhall Corsa he won from 1st Car
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Hull City fan Sam Spencer prepares to drive away in the Vauxhall Corsa he won from 1st Car(Image: my1stmotorcar.co.uk)
A Hull student working the "relentless" strawberries and cream queue at Wimbledon got the surprise of his life when he answered his phone and learned he had won a car. Sam Spencer had been entered in the draw run by 1st Car, in Cleveland Street, Hull, by his mum, Carol.
The used car centre decided to give away a 2014 black and amber Vauxhall Corsa to mark the Tigers’ promotion to the Premier League. Anyone who entered their Wembley ticket from the Championship play-off between Hull and Middlesbrough, and aged over 18, was eligible for the draw.
Sam, of Hessle, who has just finished his second year studying aerospace engineering at the University of Manchester, said: “My mum entered it for me and she was buzzing, for me and for her, when she found out I’d won.
“She saw about the draw in the Hull Daily Mail. I crashed my other car after a Hull City game, so this was meant to be.”
Sam had a Ford Fiesta which “wasn’t badly smashed but bad enough to write it off”. He said: “I’ve been without a car for just under a year - now I can drive to all the Hull games; I come home from uni for all of them.
Sam Spencer, left, with David Hicks, sales executive at 1st Car, and the prize Vauxhall Corsa
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Sam Spencer, left, with David Hicks, sales executive at 1st Car, and the prize Vauxhall Corsa(Image: my1stmotorcar.co.uk)
“The car’s perfect, exactly what I need - and mum doesn’t need to give me a lift anymore.” A Tigers fan “all my life”, Sam said: “I’m just so pleased to have some wheels again.”
As well as supporting the Tigers, Sam also enjoys tennis. “I went to Wimbledon a couple of years ago with my mates and everyone working there was a university student.
“I applied two years ago and started on the strawberries and cream queue last year and I’m doing that again this year, keeping the queue organised. Every single day, it’s relentless.
"You get asked lots of questions about where things are too. I really enjoy it - and it’s good money as well!”
It was Steve Frost, general manager at 1st Car, who decided that if the Tigers won promotion, the Corsa was going to be given away, and the business announced the details on its TikTok page. The 1.2 limited edition, three-door car with 56,442 miles on the clock was on the forecourt for around £3,500.
David Hicks, sales executive at 1st Car, said: “Sam was working at Wimbledon when he got the call about winning. He was so surprised.
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“When he came to collect the car he didn’t stop smiling. He drove away so happy.”
David said about 75 people sent in their Wembley tickets for the draw. “Sam was a really nice young chap; it was nice for us to give something back.”
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