Patrick accepted immediately, of course, and sent the MG to a specialist for a good check over and some light restoration, though the car had luckily been well looked after and had remained completely original in the intervening two decades since it had appeared in the movie.

Patrick and his wife used the MGB on local runs near their home, but also as part of a display at Athelhampton House, which Patric had now opened to the public and which included a display about the movie ‘Sleuth’.  The car was kept and enjoyed like this by the family for the next 20 years –   displaying the car during public visiting hours and as a local runabout during good weather, but in 2019 Patric decided to retire and move abroad.  Athelhampton House along with its entire contents were auctioned off.  This included the MG, which took a staring role in the auctioneers’ catalogue as the final lot – Lot 500.

A local car dealer snapped-up the MG, now affectionately known by everyone that knew the car as, Lulu.  He garaged the motor and it sat there idle for a couple of years until he decided to put it on the market where it received a lot of attention from the press, not least as a feature in a classic car newspaper, which is where I, the present owner of Lulu, come into the story.

As a young boy in the early 1970’s I sat and watched the movie ‘Sleuth’ with my parents.  The film remains one of my all-time favourites.  It’s one of those films you never forget for some reason, but what stood out to me the most at that impressionable young age was Michael Caine’s car…  That gloriously shiny bright red MGB crunching along the gravel driveway of Cloak Manor, the throttle blipping with that wonderful sporting burble and the image of the car being parked up outside that picturesque country manor house on a glorious summer’s day.  Overnight I became an MG ‘spotter’.  Every trip with my parents was an excuse to watch out for these little sportscars and I became a very young enthusiast.

Years later, at the age of 16, when I’d finally reached the point where I was about to take my driving test, I spotted a 1969 MG Midget for sale at a dealer for £350.  I was in my first job by this time earning just £25 per week, but I somehow managed to save the money to buy it, despite not yet having my driving licence.  It was tartan red, had rotted sills, the leather seats were becoming unstitched, there were big holes in the floor beneath the foot pedals, but I loved it.  It wasn’t exactly like Michael Caine’s MG in Sleuth, but it was close.  Unfortunately, during the lengthy restoration, my MG got stollen.  I was heartbroken, but after taking my driving test and working my way through a couple of more mundane motors I eventually managed to afford a 1966 MGB Roadster.  I was finally getting closer to that dream of owning a car like the one I’d seen in the movie all those years before.

This ’66 MGB in Old English White was my daily driver through the late 1980’s and early 90’s.  Wire wheels, overdrive and mid-60’s build, made it a very sought after model during the MG boom in the late 80’s and many people were surprised that I used it as my every-day vehicle.  I carried out all of the weekly maintenance to keep it tip top condition at the time, even driving it through Winters with the regular heavy snow we used to have in those days.

I eventually had to sell my beloved ‘66 MGB though due to money troubles but took a 1967 MGB GT in part exchange.  This lessoned the loss a great deal and this GT became one of my favourites.

Through the 2000’s I got lost in other marques for a while.  I’d worked myself into a good job and become a published author and as well as moving to live in the countryside I was able to own a few other sportscars cars I’d been keen on.  Amongst them, a 1972 Aston Martin DBS Vantage came my way, just like Brett Sinclare’s from The Persuaders and then, a bit later a mid-80’s model Morgan 4/4.  The owner’s clubs for these were a disappointment though.  My local group meets had lots of wealthy folks that bought the cars as investments or just to be flash and hunting for fellow ‘proper enthusiasts’ to discuss the history, development, and home mechanics with was sometimes nigh impossible – especially with the Aston crowd.