A “scary” 25-year-old washing machine with a reserve price of 39p has sold on a New Zealand online auction site for more than £2,000.

Its buyer, a chain of appliance stores, is now considering taking the whiteware monster on a national tour.

In what could become the next internet hit, Scary Washing Machine — as the Fisher & Paykel was dubbed by its owner, Mark Whittaker — was sold on the TradeMe online auction site for $5,160 (£2,020).

Mr Whittaker said that the mid-1980s model, ironically named "Gentle Annie" and which still washed clothes well, once shook so violently that it sounded like something from a horror movie.

“On heavy duty spin cycle it sort of sounds like the tortured howls of 1,000 undead writhing in the sulphury pits of Hell mixed with a train with carriages full of scrap iron sliding down the road with no wheels, on fire, into a bell factory,” Mr Whittaker wrote on the TradeMe site.

The online auction attracted more than 800,000 views, fifth of the New Zealand population. An official website – scarywashingmachine.com – has been set up and is selling T-shirts, and the Scary Washing Machine Facebook page has more than 15,000 fans.

Mr Whittaker plans to spend some of the money from the auction on a honeymoon and give the rest to charity.

Cameron Smith, marketing manager for the 100% chain of appliance stores, said that while it went over its budget for the whiteware, it was a worthwhile investment.

"We were watching it closely and we were intrigued by it. In the end we had quite a tussle for it in the auction. There was another guy who wanted it," Mr Smith said.

The company plans to take the horror machine on a national tour of its 70 stores around New Zealand, with donations going to charity.

Asked whether the machine was as terrifying as Mr Whittaker made out, Mr Smith said: "I heard it running last night and she's pretty loud."

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