MG sports car found under rubbish sells for £16,500

The car was discovered under a pile of wood, plastic, old wires and "general rubbish"

A classic sports car found under piles of rubbish has sold for £16,500 at auction.

The 1960 MG A Roadster was discovered at a property near Shaftesbury, Dorset, after the owner died and a valuation of their assets was requested for probate.

Auctioneers Charterhouse, based in Sherborne, said the car had taken "a long time to dig out", and that such discoveries were "rare".

The buyer will have to pay auction fees on top of the hammer price.

The MG pictured at an unknown earlier date with one of its three previous owners

In a statement before the sale at the Haynes International Motor Museum in Somerset, the auction house said the car had three previous owners and appeared not to have been used for at least 20 years.

"The car was discovered under a pile of wood, plastic, old wires and general rubbish," it said.

The MG appeared to have undergone some restoration work in the 1980s, the auctioneers added, and the engine has been left partially dismantled.

Richard Bromell, director of Charterhouse, said: "It was always my dream as a schoolboy to go around the countryside looking for classic and vintage cars which have been locked away for years.

"Today, although it rarely happens, there are still discoveries to be made such as this beautiful MG, although it took a long time to dig it out of the garage."

A Ford Escort Mk I RS2000 was also sold at the auction, going for a hammer price of £24,000

Charterhouse said another car sold on the same day was "possibly one of the last original" Ford Escort Mk1 RS2000s.

It said the model was "perhaps the holy grail to lovers of the Ford blue oval badge".

Built in 1975, it was bought by its last owner three years ago in Bournemouth and fetched £24,000 at auction, excluding fees.