FORD FETCH-A Dusty Ford Sierra car stored in barn for 28 years sells at auction for £80k

The price tag, which does not include nearly £6,000 buyers' premium, is more than five times the RS Cosworth cost when new.

There were cheers when the hammer went down on the 1987 car, which had just 7,349 miles on the clock.

Consultant Guy Snelling, who helped handle the auction, said: "It was bought by someone in the room. We were just over the moon, properly over the moon. It hadn't moved since 1991, it was a real time warp."

Cosworths are prized because they offered Ferrari performance at a modest price and few are left in tip-top condition.

The white, D-reg motor was bought in 1987 for £15,950. Four years later, its Ford fanatic owner put it in storage in Ascot.

It was bequeathed to a family friend, who sold it complete with original bill of sale and MoT.

It was sold in King's Lynn by Anglia Car Auctions, which said it needed new tyres to pass its MoT.