Monty's Rolls-Royce returned to RLC Museum after restoration by ex-Top Gear host Hammond

Former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has returned the Rolls-Royce belonging to Field Marshal Montgomery to the Royal Logistic Corps Museum.

The celebrity car fanatic drove the Rolls-Royce, previously used by the famed wartime Field Marshal, to the museum in Worthy Down from his Smallest Cog workshop where the vehicle had been restored.

Collections manager Sam Jolley said the museum was delighted with the result.

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"It has been quite a daunting process to watch a museum object being stripped back to bare metal," said Miss Jolley.

"However, it has also been extremely interesting to see the history underneath the 1970s paintwork.

"We are absolutely delighted with the finish and grateful for the work that the Smallest Cog have put into the restoration, ensuring the preservation of the Rolls for decades to come."

The car was returned to the museum ahead of the D-Day commemorations, which will mark 80 years since the operation.

Troops greeted the vehicle as Mr Hammond parked it outside of the museum and he presented it to museum director Simon Walmsley and Brigadier Mike Caldicott.

The Rolls-Royce was made in 1939 and served as Field Marshal Montgomery's staff car in France and Germany.

It was also the first civilian vehicle to disembark in Normandy after D-Day, landing on Juno Beach.