Margaret Thatcher's armoured bus up for sale

The 18-tonne, bomb-proof vehicle was built in 1983 and is believed to have been used during the Iron Lady's tour Northern Ireland tour.

Current owner, military vehicle dealer Nick Mead, wants £25,000 for the bus and plans to list it on eBay.

"It's a unique piece of social and political history," Mr Mead said.

"It's still in working order and, although it's not exactly looking its best these days, someone who wanted to would be able to restore it to a good standard pretty easily.

"I bought it in 2012 because it was a fascinating vehicle but it's big, ugly and it's in the way now so I'm keen to send it to a good home. Given the American fascination with Maggie Thatcher, it may sell well over there but I'd prefer for it to stay in the UK.

The windows are made of 50mm thick, bullet-proof glass

"The bus is just as it was in period; we even found a ladies' umbrella on board – whether it's Margaret Thatcher's or not I don't know but we like to think it might be."

The bus was built by military vehicle specialist Glover Webb and is based on Foden running gear.

The 60cm thick, honeycomb macrolite floor is capable of withstanding a landmine blast

It is powered by a 12-litre, supercharged V12 Rolls Royce diesel engine that can propel the coach to a top speed of 130km/h.

The windows are made of 50mm thick, bullet-proof glass, while the 60cm thick, honeycomb macrolite floor is capable of withstanding a landmine blast.

With seating for 36 people and space at the rear for an office desk, the coach even had its own auxiliary, roof-mounted motor that could pump clean, carbonised air to the sealed cabin in the event of a chemical, biological or nuclear weapon being deployed.

With just 22,000km on the clock, the bus was used to ferry passengers on the dangerous Derry Airport – Belfast route during the 1980s.

It was also previously owned by the Met Police, used as transport for the Royal Marines band and as a viewing platform at a Ministry of Defence research facility.