Mandela BMW for sale

A BMW 3 Series signed by Nelson Mandela as one of 10 ‘Democracy Cars’ is up for sale in the UK and expected to fetch £5000 at auction.

The unique piece of South African history is for sale on 28 April at the RAF Museum in Hendon, London. Built in 2004, the silver BMW saloon was donated by employees at BMW’s factory in South Africa to mark the election of Mandela as President of the country and his earlier release from prison.

Mr Mandela signed the car on the inside, along with nine others, and each was issued with a certificate to prove its authenticity. The one for sale at Hendon is the one and only Democracy Car supplied to the UK as part of a charity fundraising project when the cars were news.

The 10-year old BMW comes with a full service history, all of its original equipment and just 46,000 miles on the clock. It was last sold in 2006 when it reached £38,000 at auction, so the current sale could easily exceed its estimate.

By Press Association reporters