FOUR pals are planning to take a ageing limo on a 3,000-mile charity drive across Europe.

Richard Woods and Luke Hyams, from Brightlingsea, Stefan Sturdy, from Alresford, and Harrison Carter, from Frating, are due to set off on the Scumrun rally on Thursday.

Theirs will be one of 100 cheap-and-cheerful bangers bound for a series of mystery destinations.

Each car had to cost less than £500 to buy, and the friends’ 1991 Ford Dorchester limousine fitted the bill. Mr Woods, 23, said: “It’ll be a big adventure. We were searching the internet for something to do a for charity and we came across this event.

“We bought the car on Ebay and chose the limo, because we fancied something a bit out of the ordinary. “It only has 50,000 miles on it and seems very reliable. We bought it in Liverpool and have taken it on a test run to Newcastle and back, too..”

All four are insured to drive and will take turns at the wheel, aiming to stay on the road for 12 hours a day. The rally starts at Thruxton Motor Circuit in Hampshire and winds its way around a mysery route across the continent.

The event will be televised on Sky TV and is in aid of Sparks, a charity which funds research into conditions affecting pregnant women and children.

To sponsor the team, visit justgiving.co.uk/carbon-cockprints