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Margaret Thatcher's bomb-proof bus goes under hammer | Margaret Thatcher's bomb-proof bus goes under hammer |
(7 months later) | |
An armour-plated bus believed to have been used by "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher has been sold for nearly £17,000. | An armour-plated bus believed to have been used by "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher has been sold for nearly £17,000. |
The 28-tonne battle bus, as it was known, is thought to have been built in the 1980s for the former prime minister's Northern Ireland tour. | The 28-tonne battle bus, as it was known, is thought to have been built in the 1980s for the former prime minister's Northern Ireland tour. |
The vehicle went under the hammer on Thursday night and beat the estimate of £10,000, selling for £16,940 to a collector, said Jonathan Humbert of Northamptonshire-based JP Humbert Auctioneers. | The vehicle went under the hammer on Thursday night and beat the estimate of £10,000, selling for £16,940 to a collector, said Jonathan Humbert of Northamptonshire-based JP Humbert Auctioneers. |
"There was immense interest in the bus," he said. "It sold to a spontaneous round of applause in the saleroom." | "There was immense interest in the bus," he said. "It sold to a spontaneous round of applause in the saleroom." |
The bus, which has just 17,398 miles on the clock, has a blast-proof floor and body as well as armour-plated glass throughout, Humbert said. | The bus, which has just 17,398 miles on the clock, has a blast-proof floor and body as well as armour-plated glass throughout, Humbert said. |
It was thought to be chemical- and nuclear-proof and once had its own auxiliary generator and air supply. It also boasts a Foden chassis, a body by Glover and Webb, and is powered by a 12-litre Rolls-Royce engine. | It was thought to be chemical- and nuclear-proof and once had its own auxiliary generator and air supply. It also boasts a Foden chassis, a body by Glover and Webb, and is powered by a 12-litre Rolls-Royce engine. |
Humbert said the bus, which has room for about 35 passengers, had come from a private seller who bought it from a research and development company, which in turn had bought it from the government. | Humbert said the bus, which has room for about 35 passengers, had come from a private seller who bought it from a research and development company, which in turn had bought it from the government. |
"This isn't a good-looking vehicle by any stretch of the imagination, but it is of social and historical interest," said Humbert. "It is an irreplaceable one-off – an iron bus for the Iron Lady." | "This isn't a good-looking vehicle by any stretch of the imagination, but it is of social and historical interest," said Humbert. "It is an irreplaceable one-off – an iron bus for the Iron Lady." |
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