The Ford Capri driven by Lewis Collins as Bodie in the classic TV show 'The Professionals' sold for £53,760, beating the figure achieved at the same auction for another TV Capri – the one driven by Dennis Waterman's character, Terry McCann, in 'Minder' .

In a closely fought battle, The Professionals Capri narrowly beat the Minder Capri by £1,677, achieving a world record figure for a 3-litre model and exceeding its estimate of £35,000 - £45,000.

Bodie's 1978 Capri 3.0S featured in seven episodes of The Professionals (Series 2) but carried the fake registration ‘UOO 303T’ during filming. A notably early example taken from Ford’s press fleet, its Strato Silver livery was complemented by a tartan plaid Fishnet Recaro interior. Extensively restored two years ago the former TV star is now in very good condition and has even graced the front cover of Classic Ford magazine (Summer 2015 issue).

Damian Jones, Sales Manager at H&H Classic, says: “This classic car is also a wonderful piece of entertainment memorabilia. Classic cars and film props are two of the fastest growing areas in collecting where we have seen values soar.”

The white 2-litre Minder Capri was not only driven by Terry in the opening sequence but also at various times during the series. It is believed to have come close to being crushed, but escaped and now rejuvenated, shows 88,700 miles on the clock. Despite achieving over £52,000, it fell short of its estimate of £65,000 to £85,000.