London: A rust-covered Armour-plated "battle bus", built in 1980s for former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's tour of Northern Ireland, has been sold for nearly 17,000 pounds.
The 28-tonne bus with a blast-proof floor and thought to be chemical, biological and nuclear-proof was offered to Thatcher for a visit to the politically sensitive British-controlled province marred by sectarian violence.
At an auction last night, the bus was sold for 16,940 pounds (USD 26,000) to a vehicle collector, beating its 10,000-12,000 pounds guide price, according to Jonathan Humbert of JP Humbert Auctioneers in Northamptonshire, central England.
"This is not a good-looking vehicle by any stretch of the imagination, but is of social and historical interest. An irreplaceable one off! An iron bus for the Iron Lady!" Humbert said.
"There was immense interest in the bus," he said. "It sold to a spontaneous round of applause in the saleroom."
The bus, later used to transport troops, was commissioned by the British government and furnished with its own auxiliary generator and air supply to make it "chemical, biological and nuclear proof", according to the auctioneer.
The bus, which clocked only 28,000 km, had room for 35 passengers.
An armour-plated "battle bus", believed to have been used by former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in Northern Ireland, is to go under the hammer.
The 28-tonne bus was thought to have been built in the 1980s for a visit by Mrs Thatcher, before being used to transport troops, auctioneers said.
It has a blast-proof floor, armour-plated glass and was thought to be chemical, biological and nuclear-proof.
It is expected to fetch £10,000 in Towcester, Northamptonshire, next week.
Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said the bus, which can hold 35 passengers, has just 28,000km (17,398 miles) on the clock and it has its own auxiliary generator and air supply in case anyone attacked it.
It also has a Foden chassis, a body by Glover and Webb and is powered by a 12-litre Rolls-Royce engine, Mr Humbert of JP Humbert Auctioneers said.
The sale comes from a private vendor 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 is of social and historical interest," said Mr Humbert.
"It is an irreplaceable one-off, an iron bus for the Iron Lady."
The bus will go under the hammer on 21 February.
The 28-tonne bus with a blast-proof floor and thought to be chemical, biological and nuclear-proof was offered to Thatcher for a visit to the politically sensitive British-controlled province marred by sectarian violence.
At an auction last night, the bus was sold for 16,940 pounds (USD 26,000) to a vehicle collector, beating its 10,000-12,000 pounds guide price, according to Jonathan Humbert of JP Humbert Auctioneers in Northamptonshire, central England.
"This is not a good-looking vehicle by any stretch of the imagination, but is of social and historical interest. An irreplaceable one off! An iron bus for the Iron Lady!" Humbert said.
"There was immense interest in the bus," he said. "It sold to a spontaneous round of applause in the saleroom."
The bus, later used to transport troops, was commissioned by the British government and furnished with its own auxiliary generator and air supply to make it "chemical, biological and nuclear proof", according to the auctioneer.
The bus, which clocked only 28,000 km, had room for 35 passengers.
An armour-plated "battle bus", believed to have been used by former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in Northern Ireland, is to go under the hammer.
The 28-tonne bus was thought to have been built in the 1980s for a visit by Mrs Thatcher, before being used to transport troops, auctioneers said.
It has a blast-proof floor, armour-plated glass and was thought to be chemical, biological and nuclear-proof.
It is expected to fetch £10,000 in Towcester, Northamptonshire, next week.
Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said the bus, which can hold 35 passengers, has just 28,000km (17,398 miles) on the clock and it has its own auxiliary generator and air supply in case anyone attacked it.
It also has a Foden chassis, a body by Glover and Webb and is powered by a 12-litre Rolls-Royce engine, Mr Humbert of JP Humbert Auctioneers said.
The sale comes from a private vendor 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 is of social and historical interest," said Mr Humbert.
"It is an irreplaceable one-off, an iron bus for the Iron Lady."
The bus will go under the hammer on 21 February.
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