Sports car fans with cash to splash will be racing to snap up this historical piece of mechanical brilliance from a Lewes car dealer.

A fully restored Triumph Spitfire – the first to come off the production line at its factory in Coventry in 1962 – is being sold by a classic car firm in Lewes.

The elegant car, which features a chassis number of FC1, first retailed at what would now be a modest sum of just £641.

But now more than half a century later, the fully restored, hand-built, two-seater Spitfire is being sold on behalf of its Swiss-based owner for £45,000 at Sussex Sports Cars.

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Gerry Wadman, who works at the firm, restored the one-off model using original Triumph-Stanpart parts.

He said: “The original Spitfire was slightly more expensive than the MG Midget, which was the most popular sports car in that era.

“But Triumph put itself in the market place slightly above that.

“They were aiming for the young executive, the young housewife, who wanted something a little bit special.

“And it was one of the most delicious, pretty looking cars that ever was built.”

Mr Wadman wouldn’t reveal how much the Swiss owner originally paid for the charismatic classic, but said the car is currently in Geneva and would “almost certainly” come back to the UK.

Triumph sold about 300,000 Spitfires in its 18-year production stint, so what makes this one so special?

Graham Jones, of Club Triumph Eastern, said the majority of its price tag would be attributed to its “number one” identity.

He said: “It was the premier car of its day and this one sounds like a very prestige offering. They’re beautiful cars and this one looks great.

“But unless you’re a hardcore classic car fan, like say Rowan Atkinson, you’d have to really consider paying that much for it.

“Each to their own though. If you want something enough, especially a tip-top version of the first Spitfire to come off the production line, then price won’t really come into it if you’ve got the cash.”

For more information visit www.sussexsportscars.co.uk.