Bromham businessman Max Tyler is taking part in one of the toughest races in the UK in a bargain Porsche he bought for £160 on eBay.

Mr Tyler, 50, was the only bidder for the 1980 Porsche 924 which came from Maidstone and had 80,000 miles on the clock.

Originally he bought it as spares but decided to have a go at building it into a racing car, a project that took 18 months.

Mr Tyler said: “When the car arrived it had a smashed windscreen, mismatched doors, wouldn’t run properly and smelt like an old Labrador inside. But I could see there was potential and, perversely, I wanted to prove that you can take part in quality motor racing for much less money than people think.”

He made a profit on the original cost of the Porsche by selling parts that came with it plus the interior on eBay, although declined to say how much he had spent on rebuilding it.

He said: “It was not a wallet busting amount of money. I probably spent less on it than my wife did on a new road car.”

Mr Tyler, who runs Racewear Ltd selling racing drivers’ clothing worldwide, will take part in the 360 Motor Racing Club’s demanding six hour race at Snetterton, Norfolk, on Sunday, racing against a variety of historic racing saloons and sports cars over 21 years old from Minis to Aston Martins.

Mr Tyler has been racing for 30 years, including in classic MGs across Europe. He raced in the 360 race at Snetterton two years ago and won his class driving an MG Montego.

He does not expect his Porsche – which has a two litre engine and top speed of 130 mph – to win the event but hopes it will prove competitive against other Porsches. His co-drivers are Steve Billett from Eastleigh and Chris Dear from Farnborough.

Mr Tyler said: “It’s not a terribly quick car, but it’s a big, comfy old beast and if the famous German reliability sees us driving round and round for six hours we’ll be in with a shout.”