Car that looks like giant dog proves a head-turner on 'walkies' in West Sussex

The mad motor is a Volvo V40 – but it’s been converted into a canine car complete with ‘fur’, tail, legs, ears, nose and tongue by former mechanic Andy Stiff and pal Roger Doswell.

Andy, who runs Barns Green Village Stores with his wife Debbie, admitted: “My wife hates it. I picked her up from work in it once and she was really embarrassed.”

But, he said, others loved it. “People always smile when they see it, they love it and toot and wave at you.”

And the dog car even has a party trick – it releases a squirt of water when it lifts its back ‘leg.’

The car is, in fact, the latest of several that Andy and Roger have converted – others have also resembled dogs, but the pair have also created a ‘rat.' And it’s all been in a good cause. The pals have been on several rallies across numerous countries and have raised around £11,000 for the Marie Curie cancer charity.

The first outing was a Boom Banger Rally which took them and their dog car to Marrakesh. Other travels took them to Istanbul, Germany, Greece, Norway and the Arctic Circle - and a whole lot more.

And everywhere they went, they were met with glee from people who saw their canine car. “People loved it,” said Andy. “People kept asking to take pictures and put their kids on the bonnet. Everywhere we went, people loved it.”

Residents in Barns Green, near Horsham, also love seeing the dog car and it was met with cheers on an outing in the village on Mother’s Day. A number of villagers took to social media expressing their delight. One said: “This is brilliant!!!” and another added: “Just wonderful” with another saying: “Omg too funny.”

The car has been on view in the past at Barns Green Classic Car Show and Andy is hoping to take his mad motor there again this year.