She was a heroine of the racing circuit, a goddess in pink with her eye on the prize as she frequently headed for victory over Dick Dastardly and her other motoring rivals.
And now South Yorkshire’s youth homeless charity Roundabout is hoping to see the spirit of fearless Penelope Pitstop revived as the cars start up for the craziest motoring challenge since the days of the Wacky Races!
Bangers and Cash is back on the road again for 2020 with a new route covering four days, six countries and 894 miles as competitors head from Meadowhall in Sheffield to the finish line in the German city of Munich.
But just to make things interesting for the teams, the rally will take a circuitous route to its final destination, taking in the Netherlands, France and Switzerland as well as some of the famous sights of Germany - including a mad king’s fantasy castle!
Interest in the event, which hits the road on September 10 2020, is already high, with many companies already signing up to take part.
But organisers are hoping that there will be at least one all woman team to join the 30 strong lineup on the starting line.
“We’ve been delighted and overwhelmed by the response we have had since Bangers and Cash was launched,” said Roundabout’s Emily Bush.
“Up to now, though, it’s been an all-male lineup and it would be good to balance that out just a little.
“This is a great fun challenge and one that is open to all drivers - I’m sure there must be a female team out there keen to make their mark and keep the spirit of Penelope Pitstop on the road!”
With teams already signing up, anybody interested needs to make contact with Roundabout quickly as the challenge is limited to just 30 cars.
Competing teams of three each have to pay a registration fee and then raise at least £2,000 in sponsorship.
Adding to the difficulty of the adventure, each team is allowed to spend no more than £650 on their vehicle, with its bonnet decorated with unique works created specially by acclaimed professional artists.
At the end of the race the bonnets are then auctioned, adding to the money raised for Roundabout.
The UK’s first art road show banger rally in 2018 raised £96,000 as supporters drove from Sheffield to Monte Carlo.
That money helped to launch a new service, Rapid Rehousing, enabling Roundabout to proactively go out into the community and look for vulnerable young people who may be sleeping rough.
Local businesses wanting to learn more about Bangers and Cash and how to get involved should contact Emily Bush at Roundabout on 0114 253 6753 or mail: ebush@roundaboutltd.org
