TWO former Rover engineers' dream of launching their own sports car has received a 250,000 boost, writes David Duffy.

Two investors have agreed to invest in the project developed by sports car enthusiasts Andrew Barber and Robin Hall.

The pair created the FBS 1 car in their spare time while spending their professional time working on the new Mini, to be built at Cowley.

Seven months after meeting the investors at an Equity Link Investors' Fair www.equitylink.co.uk they clinched the deal with the so-called business angels, who want to remain anonymous.

Their spare-time creation, a two-seater 2.5-litre V6-powered convertible, built at Haddenham, near Thame, is expected to go on sale next year at about 25,000.

Mr Barber said "This investment will enable us to take the car from prototype to production.

"Over the next year, we will complete the detailed engineering design and testing; build a second car; rent premises; set up tooling for the chassis and recruit staff.

"This is a great day for us, we have always known we would get here. Now it has happened and we are trying hard to keep our feet on the ground"

Mr Hall struggled for three years on his wife's salary as a teacher after winding up his car repair business to get an engineering degree. He said: "We have spent so many late nights working on the prototype that Andrew's two-year-old son told people that I lived with them."