However, for Thame resident David Monument and three of his friends, the idea of travelling to Venice in a stretched car is now a reality.

The foursome, who all work for Activision in the town, are taking part in the Crumball rally.

They set off on Thursday on their European adventure, aiming to raise funds for the Transverse Myelitis Association, a charity which supports victims of a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord.

Leader of the group, David, said: "Our aim is to get to Venice in four days. There are 84 teams in the event so I guess our aim is to win, or come somewhere close, but to get there at all would just be great. It's basically for fun and to raise money along the way."

Bosses at games publisher, Activision have thrown their full support behind their employees - decorting the car, paying for accommodation and even installing a games console.

David added: "I had this limo and we thought it would be good to deck it out with an X box and a plasma TV so that those who aren't driving could play it, and that when we stopped we could open it up to other racers and people could have a play.

"I spoke to our marketing guy at work who thought it was a great idea, in fact he then wanted to come along. So they paid for our limo and are paying for the overnight stops in hotels while the company who do the artwork for Activision graffiti-ed the car for us for free too."

The team will also be stopping at Verzasca dam, in Switzerland, where one of them will emulate the opening scene of the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye by bungee jumping from the 220m structure.