When Jason John entered a lucky draw competition for merely £2.9, he did not think he would end up winning a car that’s estimated to be worth six figures
When Jason John tucked himself into bed on a recent Sunday night hours of dream-filled sleep lay ahead.
But even the wildest of the dad-of-two’s dreams were surpassed by reality when he woke the following morning to a slew of missed calls, emails, and WhatsApp messages.
Because as the 54-year-old came to and checked his correspondence it dawned on him that the £2.99 competition ticket he’d bought had yielded him something he’d lusted after for decades – a stunning vintage 550HP Jewel Violet Escort Cosworth Monte worth a six-figure sum.
Jason, from Tonteg, Rhondda Cynon Taf, went into the draw at son Jordan’s urging. But he initially had no idea of his good fortune after the draw on May 11.
“I didn’t realise I’d won to be honest,” he said.
“My boy asked me in the night if we could put a ticket on so I basically put one ticket on,” said Jason, a painter and decorator.
“I think it was £2.99 at about 8.20pm in the night-time.
“I usually watch the live draw but I went to bed early –. I was tired.
“The draw doesn’t usually start till about 10pm so by the time they do the main draws it’s about 10.20pm so I was sleeping by then.”
The next day Jason woke up to missed calls, emails, and WhatsApp messages all asking him to call Dream Car Giveaways. Get the latest Rhondda news first by signing up to our newsletter here.
At this point he did not even know what prize he had actually won as he had entered another jackpot competition as well.
Once he found out that he had indeed won the Cosworth Monte Jason had a choice to make – he could either take the car home or pocket £70,000 tax-free cash.
But for Jason, who had grown up with these cars around him, the choice was very simple.
“When I actually saw my emails it actually said that I’d won the Monte Carlo,” he said. “Obviously after telling, my kids, my mother, and everyone my boy said: ‘You know we’ve got to take the car.’
“I thought: ‘I’ve always grown up with those type of cars but obviously never could afford one’. They were in my era basically when I was growing up 30 years ago.
“I was 24 then. I think it came out in 1992.
“Mine’s a 1995 – basically it’s a Jewel Violet Monte Carlo version and there were only 12 of those made in the Rhine in Germany.
“I think there’s nine left and there’s two left-hand drives left in the world and only seven left of the jewel violet in right-hand drive left in the world.”
Just going up to pick up their car a momentous occasion for the family who also got to see what the other cars up for more draws were like.
“I was just buzzing to be honest,” Jason said. “It was so much excitement even just going up there and my kids going up to Dream Car.
“We had photos done. My kids sat in all the other supercars up there, which they’ve got up there for people that win.
“They were firing the engines up and we just had a ball up here to be honest – it was a really, really lovely day. All the staff there were were absolutely brilliant.”
However for Jason nothing beat the thrill of getting behind the wheel for the first time.
“Unbelievable,” he said. “I’ve never ever driven one until I won this one and obviously when I drove it the boost on it is just instant.
“It’s just instant power there and it just feels amazing to be honest.”
The attention the car draws isn’t a something to brush off either, said Jason.
“I took it into the garage to fill it up with the fuel – you’ve got to have the 99 high octane stuff in it – and everyone was just coming up to it.
“Everywhere I go, if I’m at lights, people are just beeping the horn and winding windows down and saying: ‘Nice car’. It’s just getting looks and really, really good comments and everything.”
But driving isn’t what Jason primarily wants to do with the car. He instead wants to keep the mileage down, take it to car shows, and save it as a pension pot.
He said: “It’s in storage at the moment now so I will be looking to get a trailer for it and basically I’ll be towing it to shows to keep the mileage down on it.
“It’s going to be, probably, a pension pot. With those type of cars people don’t really tend to drive them a lot because if they’re putting the mileage on and then it depreciates the value.”
He added: “At the moment I think the car is worth easy six figures and in like 10 years time, if it’s kept in the same condition, maybe…[the price rises].
“They’re a crazy price as they are at the moment so I will never ever take it out in the winter with the salty roads – that’s a no-no anyway.
“My basic plan is just to take it to a few shows, enjoy it when I can, and obviously try and keep the mileage down on it and just hopefully I would probably sell it for the right price in about 10, maybe 20, years’ time.”
Jason’s big win has motivated his family and friends to try their luck as well.
“Even my kids and my mother they’re trying to win their dream cars now.
So everyone, all my mates and everyone, are on it now,” Jason said.
“They’ve all started entering these competitions now.”
And Jason is even trying his luck again. “I still do it nearly every other day when they’ve got nice cars,” he added.
As another Escort Cosworth Monte is listed as being up for grabs both Jason and his son have entered the draw once again.
“I don’t think anyone ever thinks they’re going to win but, like I said, you’ve got to be in it to win it,” Jason said.
“I don’t usually get any luck on anything – I never win anything – but obviously I won this time and I just can’t believe it.
“I’m so shocked. It’s like you win something big like that and you’re just so shocked.
“It’s life-changing. It’s crazy.”