Honda are taking part in Bangers 4 Ben Mark II. We will be attempting to drive from Portsmouth to John O'Groats and back in Hondas worth £250 or less!!!

Bangers4BEN – Car Dealer Magazine's Top Gear-inspired motor trade challenge is back – Each team will hunt down a car costing less than £250 that will take us from Portsmouth to John O’Groats and back.

But the real challenge isn’t to get there and  back – although for some of the cars that will be part of the challenge – no, the real reason is to raise as much money for charity. The plan is to sell the cars at the end of the adventure and hand all the money over to BEN, The Automotive Charity.

The Plan

Honda's two teams will join around 19 other teams from across the motor industry to take part. Other teams will include franchised dealers, independent traders, car supermarkets, car manufacturers and auto industry suppliers for Bangers4BEN MkII.

Teams have to find a car to make the journey that costs no more than £250. Before we set off, everyone will have to hand in an invoice or sales receipt for the car they’re entering that proves they paid less than £250. Then, at the end of the trip, all cars will be entered into a special BCA auction with the aim of making as much money as possible for BEN. The entire sale price, including the original stake, will be donated to the charity.

All cars must be road legal with MOT and tax,  but insurance will be covered for a period of seven  days (for the trip) by our good friends from HPI  using their Driveaway product.

The £250 limit is a chance to prove to everyone just how reliable Hondas are!

Our Teams are called Impossible Dream 3 and Possible Dream 3. We will update you as soon as we have selcted our cars!

The Route

This is not a race –  but it is an endurance test. We know it won't be easy bearing in mind that we will be making this trip in the depths of winter – especially when you take a look at the mileages we’ll be covering.

Day one – Monday, November 9 – begins at BEN’s headquarters at Ascot, Berkshire. This is the longest leg,
mileage-wise to Inverness. The 560-mile slog will take a fair few hours!!!

Day two – Tuesday, November 10 – we’ll head to John O’Groats,  and we’ll get together for pictures. Then we’ll turn around and head to Berwick-upon-Tweed where BEN has a residential centre. We’ll pay BEN’s Birch Hill centre a visit in the evening to set off some fireworks for the residents.

Day three – Wednesday, November 11 – we’ll be heading for our final destination: Brands Hatch racing circuit where we’ll take to the track for a few celebratory laps, pat each other on the back and look forward to the auction.

The Auction

This will take place at a BCA centre and will take place very soon after we’ve all (hopefully) completed the trip. Car Dealer and the Honda teams will be twittering live from the event!

Reporting

The Honda teams will be sending out regular progress updates on Twitter.Car Dealer Magazine will also be using the ‘tweets’ to report on the adventure in the magazine.

Sponsorship

Every penny that we raise in sponsorship will be donated to BEN along with the sales proceeds from the sale of the Honda cars.

PS:Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now!