Buy the most famous Mini Moke in the world

Wood & Picket converted four Mokes for the filming of the cult series in 1966, fitting them with wood trim and this one with a 998cc Cooper-spec engine. Only two of the four survive, this one said to have been driven by McGoohan in several episodes. The car’s identity was mistakenly revealed in one episode when its “Taxi” plates were left off, showing its real 1965 registration number. Which it still bears.

After filming, the car went missing until 2011 when it turned up in a barn in the Netherlands. Since then it’s been restored, as much as its all-important authenticity will allow. The result, says Silverstone Auctions, is a car that could be worth £60,000 – and get more admiring glances than even Bond’s Aston.

There are plenty more cars in the NEC sale on 13^th-14^th November that could have given McGoohan a far better chance of escape than a Mini Moke. Here are five more machines from the auction surely perfect for any potential prison escapees…

2016 Porsche 911 R, £300-350,000

The perfect latter-day Porsche for the true 911 aficionado? Could be. A limited-numbers sell-out even at £137,000 when new, the R is essentially a narrow-body 991-series GT3 minus the big spoiler and about 60kg, and plus the 493PS (368kW) normally-aspirated 4.0-litre flat-six from the GT3 RS – and, most important and the R’s raison d’etre, with a six-speed manual ‘box. That made it unique at the time, and is the foundation of the R’s growing reputation today as the ultimate 911 wolf in sheep’s clothing. But with a guide of up to £350,000, it will come at quite some price. This right-drive UK supplied car has covered just 1,386 miles from new.

2007 Audi RS4, no reserve

Talking of low-mileage cars, what about a 15-year-old B7 RS4 with an incredible 217 miles from new? Silverstone Auctions says the saloon is possibly the world’s least used example of the ultimate Audi A4 and comes across almost as fresh as the day it was first delivered. Why would you want it? 4.2-litre V8 with 414PS (309kW), Getrag six-speed manual gearbox, quattro all-wheel-drive with 40-60 torque split and 0-62mph in under 5.0 seconds. With its howling exhaust and feelful (for an Audi) handling, it promises to justify this model’s reputation as a drivers’ favourite.

1983 Maserati Merak SS, £48-54,000

The last series-production mid-engined road car Maserati made before the new MC20 broke cover last year was the Merak SS, one of the last examples of which you see here. Just a gap of 38 years then. Was the Merak so bad they couldn’t wait to get out of supercars? Hardly. Only around 300 right-drive examples were made, just 17 of which are currently road registered, but in its ‘70s heyday the Merak was well able to hold up its end against Lambo Urraco and Ferrari Dino rivals. The sharp Marcello Gandini-drawn lines made it a looker then, and even more so now, especially in eye-piercing Giallo yellow. This is a matching numbers UK car, a late-spec SS with lightweight body and the 220PS (164kW) V6. The car has been driven 39,300 miles.

1978 Vauxhall Chevette HS, £80-90,000

Remember the Chevette? Not many do. But this one’s a bit special, a Group 4 car built by Bill Blydenstein’s Dealer Team Vauxhall as Jimmy McRae’s first full-time works rally car. Two cars were built for ‘78, and Pentti Airikkala had the other one. Silverstone Auctions say it is probably the most correct of the five original DTV works cars that survive today. The ex-rally weapon was bought by Colin McRae for his dad Jimmy in 1991 and formed part of their McRae Collection. Since then it has run at historic rally events, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, and would be eligible for lots more.

1961 Daimler SP250, £50-60,000

Finally a cop car, but not one you could have guessed. It’s a Daimler Dart, aka SP250, the V8-powered 2+2 with a face only its mother could love – but with performance (125mph) and reliability (this one covered 97,000 miles in five years) that made it a big hit with the boys in blue. Its appeal as a high-speed pursuit car was enhanced by its sturdy chassis, fibreglass body, disc brakes all round and automatic transmission (its main market was intended to be the US). This concours-restored example is one of 26 Darts supplied to the Metropolitan Police in the early 1960s.

Images courtesy of Silverstone Auctions.