A RARE scale model of one of the most famous ships to come out of an historic Inverclyde shipyard is set to fetch a fortune at auction.

The 151 centimetre model of The Cape Horn III, which is sealed in a glazed mahogany case, will be one of the key lots in an auction at McTear's in Glasgow next week.

The vessel was launched at Lithgows of Port Glasgow and the model of it is expected to fetch up to �10,000 when it goes under the hammer on Tuesday.

Built in 1957 - the same year as the ship itself - the model was created by Lithgows for Greenock's Lyle Shipping Company after a design by J.G. Kincaid & Co Ltd.

The hull is finished in black with a white superstructure and red underside. The full-size ship had a gross tonnage of 8,484 tonnes and measured 478ft in length.

She had an average speed of 13.5 knots and in 1967 was sold to the South Shipping Company of Gibraltar for �380,000.

Unfortunately, she was shipwrecked five years later when she ran aground on the Roncador bank in the south Caribbean.

McTear's auctioneer and valuer, Hamish Wilson, said it is extemely rare to find a model like this at auction.

He told the Tele: "Models like this are highly collectable. The Lyle Shipping Company was one of the oldest and most prestigious shipping companies ever seen in Scotland, and the association of the business with the model of The Cape Horn III will undoubtedly spark interest when it comes to auction." The Lyle shipping company produced its first vessel in 1791 and, despite losing many ships in the two world wars, continued until it went into receivership in 1987.