A RARE motorbike won for 5p in a raffle more than 40 years ago has been sold at auction for £57,500.

The 1931 Brough Superior 980cc SS80 was originally owned by Ipswich Police.

The handmade bike – which cost around £130 when new in 1931 – still has its original Ipswich number plate, RT 7418.

The letters ‘RT’ were allocated to Ipswich in the 1930s.

In 1972, the motorbike was offered as the first prize in a fund- raising raffle organised by the Brough Superior Club.

A lucky winner scooped up the valuable bike with a ticket costing just 5p.

The Brough Superior bike was fully restored before it went under the hammer at a Bonhams auction.

The auction was held during the International Classic Motorcycle Show at the Staffordshire County Showground.

The bike was sold to an overseas buyer for £57,500. It had been expected to sell for between £50,000 and £70,000. The Brough Superior SS80 has been described as the Rolls Royce of motorcycles, because only 1,086 were ever made, between 1924 and 1939.

Lawrence of Arabia owned eight Brough Superiors, two of which were SS80s.

According to the Vintage Motorcycle Club, a Brough Superior SS80 cost between £118 and £135 in 1931.