WINSTON Churchill’s Land Rover- a present to him on his 80th birthday in 1954- sold at auction in Ely for �129,000, more than double the estimate.

The Series 1 Land Rover - with a number plate UKE 80 - comes complete with its original buff log book that declares the former prime minister and war leader as its first owner.

The vehicle had been modified to enable Churchill to be chauffeur driven around his Chartwell estate in Kent.

Cheffins auctioneers sold the Land Rover as part of a sale at the Elean Business Park, in Sutton, which featured more than 2,000 lots, with everything from classic steam engines, motorbikes and cars on sale.

But Churchill’s former Land Rover, with 12,932 miles on the clock, was the most expensive item to be sold on the day.

Jeremy Curzon, from Cheffins, said: “Make no mistake, this Land Rover is known by aficionados in the Land Rover world and the Winston Churchill world.

“We are suitably thrilled at being given the opportunity to sell it. “There has been a lot of interest from buyers all over the world.”

The Land Rover has been stored in a shed for the past 35 years and has an extra wide passenger seat, a padded fold down arm rest, and a leather clad grab handle fitted to the bulkhead.

The Land Rover was put to good use by Churchill around his Chartwell estate, and after his death, it was passed to son-in-law, Christopher Soames.

He sold the vehicle at an auction in 1973 for �160 to Norman Mills.

A gyrocopter believed to have been used as a prop in the James Bond hit Goldfinger was among other auction items.