A TOUR by Lady Penelope's FAB1 limousine was a smash-hit for a Swindon car dealership.

The 23-foot stretch went to 15 Ford dealers around the country, and drew in the crowds.

Hartwell Ford at the Fleming Way roundabout in Swindon sold 62 new cars to customers, when it would usually sell between 15 and 20.

More than 4,000 people came through the doors on July 9, as opposed to 130 on a normal weekend, as fans of both the old television series and the new box office hit film Thunderbirds came to see the car for themselves.

In the film the car has wings and also a hydrofoil to enable it to plough through the water at a rate of knots.

When used on the road it can do up to 250mph.

Nigel Kingscott, Hartwell Ford general manager, said: "This was a winner with families a third of cars sold were Focus C-MAX and Galaxy multi-purpose vehicles."