A HENLLAN man and his ‘Muttley’ crew are preparing to make a 3,000-mile trip from Denbigh to Benidorm and back in a 'Wacky' looking car with the aim of having fun and raising money for charity.
Tony Adams and four friends have modified a convertible Mercedes into Wacky Races’ Dick Dastardly’s purple Mean Machine in which they will embark on the journey for the ‘Benidorm or Bust’ charity car race.
The group took part in the rally last year as Thunderbirds and raised £2,000 for Alzheimer’s Society – but they may be unrecognisable this year as they will be dressed from head to toe as Wacky Races characters Dick Dastardly, Muttley, Penelope Pitstop and Captain Caveman.
Mr Adams, who has transformed the car by adding features such as rear rocket boosters, a dorsal fin and ground drill on the front of the car, said: “It is such a great event, the people are amazing, we all get along and help each other when needed. We all know that it’s all for charity at the end of the day. You also get to see some amazing countries.
“This year we are going through Andorra, which we are all looking forward to.
“We choose a charity each year and wanted a children’s charity this time.
“We bought the car, a Mercedes CLK convertible, for an incredible price. We were lucky to find such a gem. We’re also going to be doing the entire event in full costume – who’s going as who hasn’t been decided yet.”
The group will travel from Denbigh to Dover and crossing the Channel by Eurotunnel, before stopping in Toulouse. They will then drive over the Pyranees in Andorra and complete the last stretch to Benidorm in north east Spain.
Prizes for the competition include Best Car, Best Costumes, and Best Spirit. Last year the Thunderbirds won third place for Best Car.
Mr Adams said: “We knew the car was going to be a massive build compared to the other cars we’ve done and there was times I doubted it was possible. The biggest hurdle was the rear rocket boosters, I had to build a frame that was strong but light, then fibreglass it.
"The dorsal fin was also a big challenge, it had to be strong, withstand side wind and be able to be removed quickly so we can lower the roof and put it back on. We did however overcome these issue and we are quite proud of the finished car.
“We changed the colours of the seats and completely repainted all the inside. We also have the ‘Mean Machine Mischief Control’ panel. This idea came from my daughter Lucy; she was determined the car could blow bubbles too.
“On the front of the car there is a huge drill, so that Dick Dastardly can drill through mountains, and Lucy insisted this should spin.
“We managed both of these ideas and it was worth it, it looks great.”
The crew will start their journey on May 14 and return on May 19.
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