Forces charity Mission Motorsport and eBay have partnered together to repair a written-off Subaru BRZ that will be used by volunteers to compete in a gruelling 12-hour endurance race taking place over Remembrance weekend.
Mission Motorsport helps those who have been affected by military operations and provides careers in the automotive industry.
Together with eBay, the charity will be fixing up a 2016 Subaru BRZ that has been crashed but classed as a category N, which means that it has been previously written off but left with non-structural damage.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Mark White, operations manager behind the project said that they: “Didn’t necessarily want a BRZ, we have two Toyota GT86’s in the fleet, which are 99 per cent the same [as the Subaru]. For me, what I wanted was a comparable car that somebody who is handicapped in a wheelchair could actually compete against somebody with an able body on a level playing field.”
The Subaru will be repaired and will return to standard specification as part of Mission Motorsport’s training programme. The car will then be modified to enable the team who are rebuilding it to drive the car – this will include hand controls on the steering wheel. Furthermore, the BRZ will be automatic as all the volunteers are paralysed from the waist down.
Once the vehicle has been repaired and converted, the volunteers behind the project are set to take part in the Race of Remembrance at Anglesey in November this year.
It also marks the 10th anniversary of the commemorative fund-raiser – while nearly every member from the racing team to the pit crew will be wheelchair users or have lower limb injuries.
Ebay’s partnership will help supply parts from its Assured Fit programme, certified recycled parts and my garage services. All these collaborations ensure that every part purchased and supplied will fit and is tailored to the exact vehicle to ensure good quality parts are installed.
Mark White went on to say: “We’ve managed to get some really good beneficiaries and volunteers who are offering their time and their skills free of charge to come and help us put that car together so that combats that challenge. The biggest challenge is the financials, these guys that are volunteering, have offered a decent amount of free time to us.”
Ebay conducted some research regarding category N written-off vehicles and found that more than 80 per cent of UK motorists do not understand the significance of their status.
Furthermore, it found that more than a quarter of buyers would consider buying one, as long as they’re convinced by substantial savings, while 28 per cent would buy one if the market value was reduced by more than 30 per cent.
White touched upon what to look out for if buyers are in the market when purchasing a category N vehicle, he said: “It’s telltale signs of poor paint repairs, the fact that it has been damaged isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as it’s been repaired correctly. Panel gaps are another giveaway and things like rattles and wheels not pointing in the same direction and uneven tyre wear if it’s had some suspension damage.”
The car and team will be competing in the Race of Remembrance at Anglesey, which takes part from November 8 to 10.
