BRITAIN'S earliest petrol-driven car, made in Malvern in the 1890s, far exceeded expectations when it went under the hammer at a Christie's auction.

The Santler 3hp Dogcart, expected to fetch £50,000 to £80,000 at the auction on Tuesday, was eventually knocked down to an anonymous buyer for £146,750.

A spokeswoman for Christie's said there was a great deal of interest in the car.

"We drove it around St James' Square about a week ago and held up quite a bit of traffic," she said.

Charles and Walter Santler started building the car in 1887 at Malvernia, their father's engineering business.

After experimenting with different types of engine, they installed a vertical combustion engine in 1894, enabling the Santler to reach a speed of 12mph.

The car took part in the Malvern celebrations for the coronation of King George V in 1911, with a notice on the front calling it ''Ye Olde Malvern Trackless Car''.

After that it was forgotten until a collector bought it in the 1930s.

It was restored by another collector in the 1960s and completed the London to Brighton veteran car run in 1996.

The vehicle fetching the highest price at the Exceptional Motorcars auction was a 1927 Bugatti, which was knocked down for £152,250.