Rare Audi Quattro sells for £49,500 at auction

A red Audi Quattro was the car driven by Det Ch Insp Gene Hunt in the series Ashes to Ashes

A rare Audi Quattro prototype has sold for £49,500 at auction.

The model is believed to be one of only two right-hand drive pre-production Quattros left in existence.

It is thought to be one of two 'C' chassis cars, the other being in Scotland and had been expected to fetch bids of between £50,000 to £60,000.

The 1982 model went under the hammer at the Silverstone Auctions' September sale in Warwickshire earlier.

Auctioneers said the car was built in June 1982, supplied through Smithfield of Digbeth, Birmingham and first registered on 1 August that year - making it "highly likely" to be the first factory-supplied right-hand drive UK car.

Although not the same colour, it is the model used by Det Ch Insp Gene Hunt in the BBC series Ashes to Ashes, spawning his catchphrase "Fire up the Quattro."