FREEBORN managing director Andy Jones (left) and company founder Mike Freeborn celebrate the silver jubilee.

UP to 10,000 motorists in the Hampshire area are in with a chance of buying their next new car at cost price.

It's all part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Freeborn Group, which started as Freeborn Citroen in Empress Road, Southampton, in 1980.

The company is going to let 25 customers have their next new car - whether it's a Citroen, Hyundai, or Skoda - at cost price.

The company has about 10,000 people and their car chassis numbers on its database and the computer will be set to select 25 chassis numbers at random. Each of those owners will then be invited to take advantage of the offer.

"We have a whole range of festivities planned for our silver jubilee year and this is just the first of them," explained Freeborn managing director Andy Jones.

"Every person who buys a car from us during our big party will also take part in a lucky dip in the showroom. They might win a complete set of car mats, mudflaps all round, or even a free Supagard treatment to preserve the look of their car that would normally cost £250."

The company is pleased with its record with the Citroen franchise. Of all the Citroen dealers in existence in 1980 in the UK, only Freeborn and one other are still with the marque.

"We have a very loyal band of customers who frequently come back to buy another Citroen and it has been a very good franchise for us," added Andy Jones.

"Their loyalty has helped to keep us among the top ten Citroen dealerships in the UK and we would like to thank them for this."

In more recent times, the company has added Hyundai and then Skoda to its brands and most recently invested upwards of £500,000 in its new Stadium Motor Village opposite the Saints' ground in St Mary's.

Mike Freeborn, who founded the company, is still active in the business and two of his original employees also still work for Freeborn, mechanic Chas Smith and Mark Saunders, who is in the parts department.

The company moved the Citroen franchise to its current base in Rochester Street, Southampton, in 1986 and still has numerous employees who joined at around that time.

Since then, it has expanded into motorhomes, with a specialised sales outlet at Bursledon, and manufactures the Romahome motor caravans based on Citroen chassis at a factory on the Isle of Wight.

Freeborn Special Vehicles, also on the Isle of Wight, also designs and fits conversions to commercial vehicles and supplies to the AA, Royal Mail, Meals on Wheels and many local authorities as well as the public sector.

In 1996, Freeborn acquired a Citroen dealership in Godalming, SE Thomas, which was rebranded as Freeborn Guildford last year.