Dalek for sale in car showroom

Daleks: Usually keen to exterminate Dr Who

A car dealer is offering a Dalek for sale in his showroom after accepting it in part-exchange for an E-type Jaguar.

Gary Davis is selling the Dr Who prop at the Panorama Bay Motor Company in Poole, Dorset, after taking it from a customer whose father worked on the BBC series.

He has already had to turn down one offer because it does not meet his £4,000 asking price.

But Mr Davis, 48, says the Dalek could be a bargain for Dr Who fans.

"I've no idea how you price a Dalek - some people say it's worth £16,000, others say it's worth less than £4,000," he told BBC News Online.

Dr Who [John Pertwee] is cornered... momentarily

The Dalek's features include a sink plunger and Morris Minor indicators.

"I remember the Daleks as a child, and seeing it now I don't believe how I was scared of them at the time," he said.

However, he has had a lot of interest in the five foot six inches tall Dalek from potential customers - and others.

"I keep getting people ringing up and doing Dalek impressions down the phone, then asking me, 'Am I doing it right?'" he said.

Unusual items

"The Dalek is next to an £80,000 Ferrari in the showroom - but nobody's interested in the Ferrari."

Mr Davis is used to taking unusual items in part-exchange for cars. He had also accepted a 1911 Levis motorbike, and a tandem used by the French resistance which was found bricked up in a cottage.

Doctor Who made its BBC debut in 1963, but no new episodes have been made since 1989.

Books and videos featuring the Time Lord are still big sellers, and fans have long called on the BBC to make a new series of the show.

A 1996 TV film starring Paul McGann was well received in the UK, but failed to take off in the US.

Plans for a further film are in the pipeline, but no firm production details have yet been finalised.