Two car enthusiasts from Chatteris are getting ready to embark on a 12,500 mile trip from Cambridgeshire to Japan in a 52-plate Toyota Yaris.

Dan Handley and Dave Brooks face a gruelling journey along inhospitable roads and terrain, passing through 20 different countries to reach their destination in Tokyo.

The duo, who set off on Sunday (August 12), are taking the 16-year-old car on the one-off adventure to help raise cash for the BBC Children in Need appeal.

Dan and Dave both work together at Toyota specialists Fensport Performance in Chatteris.

Their cross-continent drive has been a long-held ambition, made possible thanks to backing of the project, received by winning the 2017 Motor-Vision Awards.

A Toyota spokesman said: “They chose the Yaris as a car they knew well, and which would be easily repairable should they encounter any problems.

“They have sourced a 16-year-old five-door model, powered by a punchy 1.5-litre petrol engine and costing just £1,000 – purchased with a donation from their local retailer Steven Eagell Toyota.”

Dan and Dave will cross Europe towards Turkey. They are allowing themselves eight weeks to reach the port of Vladivostok in eastern Russia, from where they will take a ferry to Japan, via South Korea.

If all goes according to plan, they will arrive in Tokyo on October 5, and spend a week there before returning by air to the UK.

The car will return to the UK in a container. For more information, visit: www.chatteris2tokyo.com