The nephew of Sinclair C5 inventor is appealing for the return of his own C5 machine after it was stolen from his garden shed.

Andrew Bryson, who kept the battery powered vehicle in his shed at his Faringdon home, discovered last week his prize possession had vanished.

The theft has upset the 65-year-old – the nephew of Sir Clive Sinclair, who launched the C5 in 1985. Now he is appealing for help to find the vehicle – estimated to be worth about £300.

Mr Bryson, of White Hart Walk, noticed a rip in his shed roof and went to make sure the 27-year-old gadget was not damaged – only to find it had gone.

He said: “I was so angry. I couldn’t believe it. Whoever took it would have had to lift it over my garden wall.

“It would have needed two people. Someone must have seen something as my garden is overlooked by flats and houses.”

The retired hotelier bought the C5 in 1985 when he was working in Wokingham.

Mr Bryson added that his three children had loved having a go in it when they were younger.

He said: “My daughter and son have both been looking on eBay to see if it appears.There was one on there and it actually said it was rescued from a back garden. I had a look but it wasn’t mine – mine had wing mirrors.”

Sir Clive launched the C5 on January 10, 1985, and by the summer Comet was selling them for £399.

It suffered from a number of design problems including poor battery life in cold weather.

Doubts were also raised about its safety in traffic, and it became the butt of jokes.

By September 1985, when it was obvious that the idea was not going to catch on , Comet slashed the price to £139.99.

Anyone with information about Mr Bryson's machine should call police on 08458 505505 news@oxfordmail.co.uk