AS THE football World Cup looms, fans can get their hands on the ultimate piece of automobilia: David Beckham’s BMW. The 1996 high-performance M3 two-door convertible was bought just as the England captain was embarking on his high-profile career with Manchester United.

It even comes with his distinctive number plate, P10 DRB (David Robert Beckham), and is yours for — well, nobody will know until tomorrow, when the car, which is being auctioned on eBay, is finally sold. Bids started this week at a cheeky £1.20 but the final price could reach £40,000 or beyond. Without the Beckham link, it would probably sell for closer to £10,000.

The car, with 82,000 miles on the clock, even has some dubious literary links as it features in Victoria Beckham’s book, Victoria’s Secrets. It is being sold by AutoQuake, the online auction house, and Fredrik Skantze, the marketing vice-president, said: “The car could sell for £40,000, even £50,000, because of its history, or much more if two collectors get involved, bidding against one another.”

The M3, which is blue with light grey leather interior, features a 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine, with a six-speed manual gearbox. Should Beckham score the winning goal in the World Cup final, it could prove a bargain, whatever the car sells for tomorrow.