Lady Penelope with Thunderbirds co-creator Sylvia Anderson

Other highlights included Harry Potter's invitation - complete with envelope and seal - to Hogwarts school from the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

It fetched �24,600.

Archive items belonging to movie idols such as Greta Garbo, Bette Davis and James Cagney also went under the hammer at the sale, organised by auctioneers Cooper Owen.

Lady Penelope's car came complete with a fully functioning steering wheel, working headlamps and leather seats.

Meanwhile, faithful chauffeur Parker was dressed in his immaculate uniform, as was the puppet of Virgil Tracy, another Thunderbirds character included in the sale.

Classics

Additional items up for grabs from last year's first Harry Potter movie included a copy of the book, which has been signed by the film's young star Daniel Radcliffe.

Other sale highlights from recent movies included a life-size ape figure used in Planet of the Apes and props from The Mummy and its sequel The Mummy Returns.

A signed poster from swashbuckling blockbuster Gladiator fetched �580, while a similar item from Raiders of the Lost Ark was auctioned off for �1,700.