Her black leather handbag sold for a rather conservative £25,000 at auction four years ago . But collectors seem less willing to part with the same amount of money for Margaret Thatcher ’ s armoured 'battle bus ' , which is rusting in a dealer 's yard because nobody will meet the asking price . The 1983-registered , 17.5-tonne vehicle - which has travelled less than 17,500 miles - was built in an armoured shell for the former prime minister in Northern Ireland , after the Brighton bombing . No buyers ; The 1983-registered , 17.5-tonne vehicle - which has travelled less than 17,500 miles - was built in an armoured shell for Margaret Thatcher 's use in Northern Ireland , following the Brighton bombing . Strength : The bus , powered by a 12-litre Rolls-Royce engine , can carry about 35 passengers and features a blast-proof floor and armour-plated glass throughout , as well as a bomb-proof armour-plated body . It is not clear exactly when Baroness Thatcher used the vehicle on her visits to Northern Ireland , although it was deemed safe to transport the politician and her ministers there during the Troubles . Her first visit to Northern Ireland as prime minister was to Belfast in August 1979 , three months after taking office - and two years before the hunger strikes by republican prisoners in 1981 . And a year after the Brighton bomb , she signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985 , giving the Irish Republic a say in Northern Ireland 's affairs for the first time - causing unrest among unionists . The bus , powered by a 12-litre Rolls-Royce engine , can carry about 35 passengers and features a blast-proof floor and armour-plated glass throughout , as well as a bomb-proof armour-plated body . But the vehicle has been sitting for a year in a lot in rural Northamptonshire owned by tanks and surplus military equipment dealer Nick Mead , after he paid £16,940 for it February 2013 . The bus was almost sold last year to a foreign buyer in Iran for £17,000 , but the deal fell through because of the huge shipping costs involved . Interior : The vehicle has been sitting for a year in a lot in rural Northamptonshire owned by tanks and surplus military equipment dealer Nick Mead , after he paid £16,940 for it February 2013 . Seating : Designed and built by Glover and Webb using Foden and Rolls Royce parts , the bus also has its own auxiliary generator and air supply in case of attack . Mr Mead said : ‘ It has been on the market about a year . This is not something you can easily flog - ( it ) gives total protection to 36 people . It is not Ukraine or Afghanistan . ‘ It might look as out of date as a Centurion tank , but it could save a lot of lives . You would not be saying it was out of date if someone was firing rocket powered grenades at you. ’ The bulletproof glass is 2in thick , and the blast-proof floor is 2ft deep . Mr Mead said a rocket-propelled grenade would blow the wheels off , although the vehicle could take the hit . But he added . ‘ It has blue windows and is about as streamlined as a brick with huge wheels on it . ‘ It weighs 17.5 tonnes - double the normal weight of a bus - but can do 80mph because it is fitted with a V5 tank engine . It was designed to get her out of trouble . On the road : Baroness Thatcher on a campaign bus in south-east London with her husband Denis in 1987 - a different vehicle to the one now up for sale in Northamptonshire . Three decades ago : Baroness Thatcher survived the Brighton bombing in 1984 in which the IRA 's Patrick Magee attacked a hotel ( above ) where Conservative Party conference attendees were staying . Landmark moment : One year after the Brighton bomb , Baroness Thatcher ( right ) famously signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985 , giving the Republic of Ireland a say in Northern Ireland 's affairs for the first time . ‘ One guy from the SAS rang up and told us some of the windows looked funny because they had been blown out on the training exercise and replaced with a different tint . But we have fixed that. ’ Designed and built by Glover and Webb using Foden and Rolls Royce parts , the bus also has its own auxiliary generator and air supply in case of attack . Baroness Thatcher , who died in 2013 , survived the Brighton bombing in 1984 in which the IRA 's Patrick Magee attacked a hotel where Conservative Party conference attendees were staying . For many years after she left Downing Street in 1990 , the bus was used to ferry troops from Londonderry Airport to Belfast escorted by two Saracen armoured vehicles . After being sold off by the army , it went to a research laboratory who used it to protect onlookers watching explosions during weapons testing - and was then bought by Mr Mead ’ s Tanks a Lot .
1983-registered , 17.5-tonne vehicle has travelled less than 100 miles . Built in armoured shell for ex - prime minister 's use in Northern areas . Bus is powered by 12-litre Rolls - cooled engine and can carry 120 people .