When is a Jaguar not a Jaguar? When it’s a fancy-dressed Subaru.
That’s the answer car nuts in Angus have come up with after catching a glimpse of a rare breed purring along the highway all the way to sunny Spain.
The attention-grabbing automobile was one of the vehicles in the Barcelona Bangers Rally organised by Edzell man Gordon Craik, who this year led by example on the theme of fake leopard skin by bringing Angus College students on board to deck out his estate car.
Gordon has been a regular in the charity event, which challenges fundraising teams to buy a banger for under £250, spruce it up and then embark on a Top Gear style jaunt into Europe, across the Pyrenees and on to the final destination of Barcelona.
After winning the event at his first attempt and raising money for Cash for Kids and the RNLI in his early outings, Gordon and a pal then took on the organisation of the challenge, which annually raises a six-figure sum for charity.
Around 70 teams from all over the country were involved in this year’s rally, with competitors tackling the route in some weird and wacky creations.
This year, Gordon’s effort behind the wheel of one of the lead marshall cars was in memory of friend and former Barcelona Banger competitor Christian Simpson, raising funds through the www.thebraintumourcharity.org/supporter-groups/Christian-Simpson-Fund page.
For the second year, Gordon roped in Angus College painting and decorating students to transform his banger, with his Subaru legacy estate becoming the Lepracy.
Gordon said: “The students did a great job. I got a very stylish car out of it, although I’m not sure the car inherited the big cat’s turn of speed.”