James Magill, 34, a Larne Carphone Warehouse sales assistant, will be shipping his 15-year-old car to New York this week. He bought it for £100 with just 35,000 miles on the clock last year. As a member of the Northern Ireland Italian Motor Club (NIIMC) his plan was to use it for parts but he decided it would be more fun to raise money for charity. "I bought it for parts from a lady in Ballymena who was giving up driving. We thought we would try and do something fun," he said.
The invitation to the US came from the American Fiat Club and the Fiat 1000s – complete with single wiper and choke – will be on display at the Detroit Fiat Freak Out next month.
James previously used the car to raise money for charity and the Carphone Warehouse donated a new phone for a raffle recently. Along with an auction the Carrickfergus man raised £750 for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice.
Last year the car – nicknamed Sylvia after its former owner - was serviced and passed an MOT. It made it to the Sahara and back but parts of the engine are held together with gaffer tape.
During last year's trip to Africa the exhaust fell off and some dubious characters demanded the equivalent of £1,000 for repairs. After bundling notes worth considerably less together and thrusting them towards the so-called mechanics James and companion Alan Magill (no relation) drove off – albeit quite slowly because the little car had overheated.
The sponsored drive through France, Spain and Morocco to the desert raised £1,400. While travelling home the duo stopped at the Fiat Ligotto factory in Turin, Italy which featured in the Italian Job. James was invited to attend the Fiat Freak Out 2006 in Detroit, Michigan – an annual celebration of all things Fiat - and decided a journey of between seven and ten thousand miles was a good way to see the USA.
The car has been decorated with flags and sponsors' logos including the Carphone Warehouse, Mervyn Stewart and the NIIMC. This time around it's just about having a bit of fun – even if there are a few breakdowns. James has visited America before and was not daunted by the prospect of thousands of miles in a right-hand drive on the "wrong" side of the road. "They won't know what to make of a little car with Ballymena number plates," he said.
First stop before America was a Fiat Motor Club event in London last week. Sylvia leaves the UK from Liverpool this weekend and once the car clears customs in a few weeks' time James anticipates his first day behind the wheel will be on July 11. The American Fiat Club secured a discount on the considerable shipping costs. The journey from New York to San Francisco after the Freak Out will take around six weeks and James will be updating his journey on the website www.panda2america.com.