A SMART car which was re-painted as a Little Tikes car for a practical joke is now being auctioned off to raise money for Lancashire children’s hospice Derian House.

Developer Kingswood Homes’, who was behind the Blackburn’s Green Hills development is auctioning the unique car which they have hand painted to replicate the iconic Little Tikes classic Cozy Coupe toy car.

The impressive paint project was initially undertaken as a practical joke played on Kingswood’s site manager Liam Reilly who had recently bumped his brand new company car within days of taking delivery.

Liam was given the life-size Little Tikes car to drive while his own car was in the garage for repairs and now that Liam’s car is back on the road, the the Preston-based developer has decided to auction the Smart Car with all funds going to Derian House.

Managing director Paul Jones said: “We have had nearly half-a-million views since putting the photos of Liam’s replacement car on LinkedIn, with many saying they would love to own a car like that.

“Therefore, we’re going to put it up for auction with every penny going to support the amazing work of Derian House which provides respite and end-of-life care to more than 400 children and young people across the North West.

“Liam loved driving it so maybe another company might be tempted to make an offer as a bit of fun for their staff, knowing they’ll be supporting a great charity at the same time.”

The eye-catching red and yellow car will be given a 12-month MOT and comes complete with Little Tikes stickers and a pair of wide eyes on the bonnet.

As the vehicle was hand-painted, Kingswood Homes have said to expect some imperfections however id bidding if the bidding reaches £5,000 they will pay to have the car professionally wrapped.

David Robinson, chief executive of Derian House Children’s Hospice, said: “The guys at Kingswood Homes are a great bunch and we’re over the moon that they have managed to turn this practical joke into something really positive to help the children and young people we look after at Derian House. We’re really grateful for their support and can’t wait to see how much it raises.”

The auction on the car runs until Sunday 14 March and bids on the car can be made on eBay by searching for item number 133681536085.