Classic 112-year-old car up for sale

The vehicle was designed by two brothers

The earliest surviving four-wheeled petrol car built in Britain is being auctioned.

The Santler Dog Cart is considered one of the most important cars in the country's automobile history.

The two-seater car is expected to fetch between £50,000 and £80,000 at Christie's in London on Tuesday.

The vehicle was built by brothers Charles and Walter Santler, in 1889 in Malvern Link, Worcestershire.

Schoolboy design

It was first built in with a steam propulsion engine which was changed for a gas engine two years later.

The car survived WW2

By 1894 the brothers had adapted it again to install a petrol engine which allowed the car to reach speeds of up to 12mph.

In a letter written by Charles Santler he recalls planning the self-propelled carriage as a schoolboy walking to school with his brother.

The car survived being left out in all weathers for many years before being rescued in 1938 by a veteran car enthusiast.

John Mills paid £5 for it and restored it.

When Mr Mills joined the army on the outbreak of the Second World War, the car was left in storage in the Coventry area.

It survived the blitz on the Midlands and is now the only known Santler car remaining.

Origins confirmed

The car has been owned by its current owner for 20 years.

In 1985 after years of research into the Santler Company the Veteran Car Club Dating Committee acknowledged the car's early origins in 1889 and confirmed its date of completion in petrol-engined form as 1894.

The car is still capable of an average speed of 8 -10mph.

It has been used by the current owner on the annual London to Brighton Run.