The 1930 Ford Model Coupe, which JOHNNY DEPP drove in PUBLIC ENEMIES, is to go under the hammer at auction in Arizona.

The vehicle actually carried gangsters John Dillinger, Hommer Van Meter and John Hamilton to safety after an FBI raid in Little Bohemia, Wisconsin in the 1930s.

Depp played Dillinger in the film.

The car will be the highlight item at the 39th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, which will be held in Scottsdale between 18 and 24 January (10).

Dillinger reportedly sprayed pursuing cops with his Tommy gun from the vehicle.

Barrett-Jackson president Steve Davis tells WENN, "This car is a piece of American gangster history and as much a part of Dillinger's legend as his Tommy guns and Colt automatics.

"Not only did this particular car get the famous gangster out of a fix with the cops in hot pursuit, it was used in the recent Johnny Depp movie about Dillinger. So it's played an important role in history and cinema emulating history."

The Ford was carefully restored in 2007 to appear in Public Enemies, preserving the original bullet holes and dimples under body filler and carefully documenting the original appearance including the upholstery soaked with blood.