PETROL head Neil Greenland could not believe his eyes when he returned to where he had left his broken down super car to find it had disappeared.

Mr Greenland, 39, from All Cannings, near Devizes, was driving the white Ford Escort RS Cosworth worth £26,000 on country lanes near his home when he realised it had an oil leak.

He said: "I pulled over and decided to walk back to my house to get a trailer. I was gone for less than 20 minutes but it was not there. I knew exactly where I had left it but I went up and down the road just to make sure.

"I then rang 999 to report it missing and I really hoped it would be found very quickly as I knew it could not have been driven very far without breaking down.

"I carried on driving around in about a five mile radius but did not see anything. I was completely gobsmacked by it."

Mr Greenland who runs an alloy wheel company in Melksham said whoever took the car would have had to know what they were doing as it had a sophisticated locking and immobiliser system.

He said: "I locked the car and had the key with me. It would not have been easy to get into the car and then get it started. I can only think someone saw me park up and then walk away and they decided they had time to take it.

"I must have been incredibly unlucky. You really don't think of something like that happening on a quiet lane."

The car was taken between 8pm and 8.20pm on Tuesday, July 14 from Woodborough Road, Patney. Mr Greenland hopes someone might have seen the distinctive looking car and someone trying to unlock it or put it on to a trailer.

He said: "It is driving me crazy. I just hope someone saw something and comes forward. I am spending all my time going on to Ebay and other sites such as Gumtree to see if it is advertised. I even wake up in the night and have a look.

"Normally I would be taking the car to track days and other events. I hate not having it."

He has been on specialist Cosworth forums to ask people for help and rung around specialist garages in case it was taken in to be repaired.

PC Gareth Edwards from Wiltshire Police said: "This is a distinctive three door saloon in white. You don't see many of these cars around so someone may remember seeing it either being driven or towed away.

"If you have seen this car or can help in anyway please contact me, PC 1924 Gareth Edwards, on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."