Police car lookalike with 'penis' written on it for sale - but there's a lifesaving cause to it
At first glance this may look like a police car, but examine the bonnet and you'll see a very different word beginning with 'P'.
This Mercedes-Benz e320 cdi has been put up for sale in Walsall, and has a very distinctive colour scheme complete with registration places that read 'Old Bill' and 'Rozzers', making it something you might expect to see on Top Gear or The Grand Tour.
Despite its appearance, this 2001 German estate car is not, and never has been, a police car.
The Facebook Marketplace advert says it was built for a charity rally and driven round Europe. So what's the story?
The car was bought for the Screwball Rally, an organised annual fundraising drive around Europe in decorated cars which cannot be purchased for more than £750. This year's journey took them to locations including Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Hannover in Germany.
Owner Anthony Barrett said he and his friends have been doing the rally for more than a decade and was trying to come up with an idea for their entry when he found the silver Mercedes just weeks before the rally.
"We decided it could be a 'police car'," he said. "We couldn't put 'police' on the front because we are then impersonating them. We had to do something different."
Explaining the choice of the word 'penis, Anthony explained: "We are a bunch of idiots basically, having fun and trying to raise money for a good cause.We are not taking the mick out of the police, this is about the lads driving the car."
In previous years Anthony and his friends have raised money for breast cancer and bipolar charities in vehicles such as those resembling the iconic bus from The Italian Job, Smokey and the Bandit, and Austin Powers.
But this year they raised money in memory of 19-year-old Reagan Asbury who was stabbed to death after a boxing match at Walsall Town Hall in 2017.
Mr Asbury, a keen footballer and boxing fan died after he stabbed in the neck by killer Tyrone Andrew from Derby, who was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court. Andrew was jailed for 14 years in 2018.
So far £3,000 has been raised which is going towards bleed kit boxes, something that Anthony has previously described as Reagan's legacy.
So far three have been delivered, installed near the Town Hall where Regan was killed, another in The Square at New Invention and a third at the 19-year-old's former school. Four more remain on order.
Naturally the car has attracted plenty of attention, with people - including police in the UK and Europe - intrigued by the Mercedes, although Anthony insists the car has not caused an in issue with officers.
In the Facebook advert, the 55-year-old wrote: "You can sit in the outside lane on the motorway and everyone literally moves out of your way without the need for lights," adding that when driving it he notices people's nervous habits when they think they've spotted a police car.
Currently the car is parked by Anthony's home in Lichfield Road, New Invention, and has helped slow traffic down in the area as drivers fear it may be traffic officers on patrol.
Anthony said the Mercedes was sold four times on eBay but the sales fell through, and since putting it on Facebook has received around 400 messages, but so far nobody has taken it office his hands.
Once sold the money will go towards even more bleed kits.
The proceeds of the sale will also go towards buying more full bleed kits. Anyone wishing to donate can do here on GoFundMe, while the car is up for sale on Facebook.
