Charity run for Ferrari restorer

308GTB is restored ahead of 2000-mile pan-European charity drive

A Ferrari 308GTB is being restored so that its owner can drive from the UK to Greece in an attempt to raise £20,000 for two charities.

Ferrari restorer, Chris Withers, is aiming to drive from Suffolk to the Greek island of Evia in July 2019. The 2000-mile drive will see him motor past the Reims and Dijon race tracks, then into Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel. From here, Chris will drive to Monza, Imola and Pescara before travelling south to Brindisi, and then catching a ferry to Greece. There, Chris will celebrate lifetime friend, Roger Borrell’s 70th birthday. Roger, who lives in Greee, has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Chris is restoring the Ferrari at GTB Restorations, the business that he and his son, Mike, manage. Work undertaken on the car will include a full body respray and an overhaul of the 3-litre engine, meaning it should be able to reach its top speed of 155mph with ease.

In anticipation of the four-week trip, Chris hopes to raise £20,000 in support of Parkinson’s UK and the British Heart Foundation. He chose to support the latter charity because he suffered a heart attack 30 years ago.

He says: ‘I promised to make a donation when my GP and the NHS saved my life. I was only 38 at the time and had everything to live for. Now I want to drive across Europe to see and help out a friend who has himself now been affected by a debilitating disease.

‘It’s my aim to raise as much money as I can to donate to these two great fundraising bodies.’

justgiving.com/fundraising/ chriswithersbhf

justgiving.com/fundraising/ chriswitherspark