A CAMPAIGN aims to save Scotland's most famous racing cars for the nation before they are sold for millions of pounds at auction.

The world's most comprehensive collection of cars from Scotland's Ecurie Ecosse team is set to be sold at Bonhams in London tomorrow.

The metallic blue cars raced from 1951 and won dozens of events, including consecutive Le Mans 24-hour races, with drivers such as Sir Jackie Stewart and his brother Jimmy racing under its banner.

Among the Ecurie Ecosse Collection put together by racing fan Dick Skipworth are seven cars including a 1953 C-Type Jaguar, a 1960 Cooper T49 Monaco driven by Sir Jackie Stewart and the team's legendary double-deck transporter that became famous to millions of children as the subject of a much-coveted Corgi toy.

But a petition has been launched to save at least one of the vehicles as a valuable part of Scotland's racing heritage.

The petition calls for the Scottish Government "to provide funding for one or more of the vehicles" which it claims are "the crown jewels of Scottish motor sport".

Shonah Gibbon, who started the petition and Save Ecurie Ecosse Facebook page, said: "These were the days of Scottish motor sport when we weren't just good, we were the best.

"I would like one of these cars to end up in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh- back where they belong."

Scottish businessman and amateur racing driver David Murray founded Ecurie Ecosse in November 1951.

From a humble garage in a cobbled Edinburgh mews, the proudly Scots blue-liveried team would beat some of the biggest names in world-class motor racing, and win consecutive Le Mans 24-Hour races for Jaguar in 1956 and 1957.