A trio of car enthusiasts from Abingdon will be running for Parliament this weekend -- not aiming to become MPs -- simply to help raise money for the Down's Syndrome Association charity.

Andrew Beacroft, John Watson and John Venables plan to represent the town in this year's Parliamentary Classic Car Run to Westminster, an annual all-party fundraising event which raises thousands of pounds for research.

The three will be 'flagged off' from the Market Place on July 4 by the town's mayor, Hilary Green, and Oxford West and Abingdon MP Dr Evan Harris.

Adding a touch of class to the occasion will be a rare 1935 Rolls-Royce 20/25, once owned by Sir Winston Churchill's chauffeur Frank Jenner, which will be in the Market Place to 'honk' the trio off.

Mr Beacroft, a member of the Vintage Sports Car Club, is the fifth proud owner of a cherished 1949 HRG1500, which were built to order between 1936 and 1956.

He said: "This particular car was given to its original owner, Doreen Hurst, as a wedding present and would have cost the princely sum of £1,086 17s 3d -- equivalent to the purchase price of a new three-bedroom house."

He will be joined on the drive to London by Mr Venables in his 1938 MG VA Tourer, and John Watson in a 1953 MG TD.

Waiting to meet them at the Houses of Parliament will be the 1996 Formula 1 motor racing champion Damon Hill, whose 12-year-old son, Oliver, suffers from Down's syndrome.

Mr Hill, who is the patron of the charity, will be joined by another motor racing legend, triple F1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart.