It's the record that we have received for such a car

Auction house

The buyer was thought to be a man from Sunderland, who intended to keep the car in the UK, said auction house Coys.

"The car was sold to an English gentleman from Sunderland for �53,000 - it's the record that we have received for such a car," said a spokesman for the London company.

John Thaw will always be associated with Morse and Oxford

"The Mk II Jaguar of that class is normally worth about �6,000," he added.

The vintage car appeared in all 33 episodes of Morse. During the 13 years of filming of the series, it was kept in a garage in London and taken by transporter to the locations.

The steering and brakes have been overhauled, the off-side doors refurbished, the bumpers and chrome-work replaced and the inside has new carpets and new wood veneer.

'A beggar to drive'

Mr Went - after receiving the keys from Morse creator Colin Dexter at a ceremony at Magdalen College, Oxford - had initially said he would keep the car to drive.

John Thaw, also famous for his maverick detective in the Sweeney, died from throat cancer in February.

He once described the Jaguar, which has a six-cylinder engine and a top speed of nearly 100 mph, as "a beggar to drive".