The original Noddy Car, which was once owned by the Enid Blyton company, is to be put for sale at auction.

The car is an exact replica of the one made famous by the elfin title character in Enid Blyton’s classic children’s book ‘Noddy and his adventures in Toytown’ and is expected to fetch between £20,000 and £25,000.

This working model is based on a 1969 Fiat Gamine Vignale – a small two-seat roadster based on an old Fiat 500 and created by bespoke Italian coachbuilder Vignale.

Its performance is likely to be outmatched by even toy cars, given the Noddy Car is powered by a tiny 594cc engine.

Since its creation over forty years ago, the Noddy Car has covered just 4,553 miles, despite having four separate owners – an indication of the fastidious care lavished on this iconic one-off.

Will Smith, classic car specialist at Silverstone Auctions, said: “This amazing Noddy Car has got to be one of the most easily recognisable cars anywhere on the planet, and it doesn’t get any closer to the one that Noddy actually drives with his friends in their adventures in Toytown.

“Our auction at the Silverstone Classic is a great opportunity to own a fascinating piece of automotive history, which can most accurately be described as ‘the’ Noddy Car having previously been owned by Enid Blyton’s company.”

The Silverstone Auctions Classic Sale takes place on Saturday 27 July at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire.