A fleet of ageing motors are to make their final journeys in aid of Dundee children – including a Barbie-themed Ford Fiesta with the iconic doll atop.
Their drivers and passengers are crossing their fingers they will make the 1,870 miles to south-east Spain.
Mechanic Gary Rooney will lead a team of 45 people travelling in 15 cars on his Bangers to Benidorm mission which he hopes will raise over £10,000 for Help For Kids.
And they will make an arresting sight as they travel in convoy from Dundee to Dover and across the continent – as each vehicle has been given a themed paint job.
The motors include a 1996 Range Rover – which Gary is least confident of lasting the distance – kitted out as a Paw Patrol police car.
Gary, owner of Dundee recovery firm Big Recovery and Transportation, will drive an 18-year-old Seat Leon with a Mr Blobby paint job.
Other bangers include a Mr Bean-themed Ford Focus, a 21-year-old Mercedes C200 with Ghostbusters paintwork and a Disney Princess Nissan Micra convertible.
Some of the cars
The bangers were all purchased for £500 or less and will be sold to a scrap dealer in Benidorm – assuming they make it.
A Lexus has already been fired from the squad and substituted after its engine blew up.
Gary said: “We’ve got a pool going on whether the Range Rover will make it!
“It looks good from the outside but it’s got no roof lining, no door cards (interior panels) and the windows don’t go down.”
And, no, it doesn’t have air conditioning which may make for a hot and sweaty trip for driver Paul Burns and his passengers the further south they go.
Lucky Paul ‘won’ the Range Rover in a draw to decide who gets which car.
Spare parts on board
Besides, perhaps, the Range Rover, Gary is optimistic that the fleet will reach Benidorm in one piece in four days.
He said: “A lot of the guys are trained mechanics, there are a few garage owners among us.
“We are taking spare parts with us, spare fan belts, alternators.
“The guys are talented at what they do so I’m pretty sure we’ll get all the cars there. I’m not saying it’s going to be plain sailing, though!”
Gary also has a few surprises up his sleeve.
He hopes to stop off at a race track and – depending on consent – the Arc de Triomphe to test the bangers’ mettle in driving challenges.
And there are a few surprises in the vehicles themselves – which he is keeping under wraps for now.
Gary regularly raises money for local causes but has never attempted a rally like this.
He had considered signing up for a similar event but was too late and decided – with the encouragement of fellow driver Robert Watt – to organise his own.
As word spread, more and more people volunteered to join him, and Cameron Donald, owner of Tayside Engineering and Construction (TEC) Supplies, stepped in as the main sponsor.
Gary said: “It was meant to be five cars, now it’s 15!”
The team plan to set off on August 17 from TEC Supplies in George Buckman Drive and drive to Dover for the ferry to Calais the following morning.
From Calais they will head to Lyon, where they will camp overnight before motoring to Barcelona.
The final leg will take them to Benidorm from where they will fly home after handing their motors over to a local scrap dealer.
It’s all trial and error – we don’t really know what we are doing, but we’ve done a lot of research.”
Gary Rooney
Gary said: “It’s going to be a long drive but we’ll all stick together and we are going to have radios in the cars so we can communicate.
“It’s all trial and error – we don’t really know what we are doing, but we’ve done a lot of research.”
Journey expenses including flights home, hotels and tents, and the costs of the cars have been covered by participants and sponsors – including Abertay Signs and Designs and APD Autocare who did the paintwork – so all donations can go to Help For Kids.
Gary was already aware of the Evening Telegraph charity’s work and, as a dad himself, is keen to see their efforts benefit Dundee children.
He said: “I’m a strong believer in supporting local charities.
“I can guarantee there’s going to be at least £10,000 getting handed over – unless, of course, something catastrophic happens and the cars don’t get there!”
Help For Kids supports disadvantaged children across Dundee through grants to families and the organisations which work with them.
Charity manager Stacey Wallace said: “We are extremely grateful to Gary and everyone who has contributed to this campaign.
“Every day I see something new happening with it.
“It has also raised so much awareness of what we do in Dundee.
“I can really see everyone is so passionate about helping local kids and through us, this is exactly what will happen.”
Supporters will be able to follow the bangers as Gary will regularly post and livestream on the event’s Facebook page.
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