Scrap will be flying around some of Coventry’s oldest cars tomorrow when the latest models to be made in the city are built out of a load of old junk.

The next generation of car designers will be stretching their talents to build a car in eight hours using nothing but waste materials.

The Great Waste Race will be held at the Museum of British Road Transport in Hale Street to raise awareness of car design.

Pitted against each other will be a team from the first year of Coventry University's BA Transport Design Degree Course, a team from the postgraduate Automotive Design Course and a team from the museum.

They will have just eight hours to design and build a self-propelling full-sized car that will carry one person through an obstacle course the length of the museum’s exhibition hall.

The judges include the American and International winner of the television programme 'Scrapheap Challenge', and the British winning team 'The Megalomaniacs'.

Contestants will be awarded points in a number of categories including overall concept, aesthetics, function and performance.

Museum development officer Lucy rumble said:

“The Great Race is intended to raise awareness of car design and to encourage children, young people and adults to think about design in a fun and exciting way.

“It follows hot on the heels of the highly successful gallery Icons, Cars & Design from the 1930s to the Future, which was opened in January.

“The Museum worked on the gallery in conjunction with the Coventry University's Industrial Design department and an area of it is devoted to the next generation of car designers.”

Visitors to the museum are invited to come along and support the teams as they race against the clock.

Children are also invited to come along Monday to Friday of half term between 11am and 3pm when they will have the opportunity to make there own model cars using scrap. Admission is free, but children under eight must be accompanied by an adult.

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