A model of the British cruise liner RMS Mauretania sold for a staggering £162,000 during an auction in London on 12 May.

The 12ft replica, sold by the Charles Russell auction house, was estimated to attract bids of up to £50,000 but far surpassed expectations on the day.

RMS Mauretania, built by Swan Hunter in Tyne and Wear and registered in Liverpool, once held the title as the biggest and fastest ship in the world, and was part of the Cunard Line fleet.

She was launched in 1906, along with her sister vessel, the ill-fated RMS Lusitania, which was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat in 1915, causing the deaths of more than 1,000 passengers and crew.

RMS Mauretania had a 28-year career before being laid up in 1934 and later scrapped in 1935.

A replica of the cruise liner was made to commemorate the ship’s launch and was loaned by builder’s Swan Hunter to the Science Museum in London in 1938.

Following the closure of the museum’s shipping gallery in 2012, the model was put into storage before being sold on 12 May.

The model cruise liner was bought by the Pullman Gallery, who bid £135,000 for the item, with fees taking the total cost to £162,00.