Brora man’s £400 ‘Tartan Banger’ on the road to Munich ahead of Euros opener

A Brora-made ‘Tartan Banger’ has made it to Germany ahead of Friday’s Euros opener, after a warm send-off from supporters across the north yesterday.

Tartan Army member and die-hard Scotland fan Scott Miller has followed the national team home and away for years.

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But it was after learning of Scotland’s qualification to the Euros that the Brora native decided to do things a little differently for the tournament finals this summer.

The 34-year-old quickly snapped up a 2008 Volvo S40 “banger” for just £400 after spotting it on Facebook, with the aim of turning it into his mode of transport for getting to Germany.

A mechanic by trade, Scott immediately got to work on making sure the vehicle was roadworthy and has been spending the past six months sprucing it up for the road trip to end all road trips — following the Tartan Army from Brora all the way to Germany to watch his beloved Scotland.

But with 120,000 miles already on the clock, the car needed £800 in work just to get it through its MOT.

The 16-year-old ‘banger’ has since had a complete makeover — adorned in tartan, with a raft of sponsors and Tartan Army emblems affixed to its body, such as Irn Bru stickers and a label reading: “Hand of God, Diego Maradona legend”.

“It was quite a slow burner to start off with,” Scott admits. “Just a sticker here and there, but it gained momentum when one of the boys stuck it on the Tartan Army page and it just went bonkers after that.”

Scott set off for Munich with friends and work colleagues Terry Stirling and Andy Cameron just after 6.30am yesterday morning.

Among his supporters are mental health charity Mikeysline, who met the trio on their travels south past Inverness. They gave the lads a collection bucket which they will use to raise money for the charity during their travels.

After arriving in Newcastle last night the crew took the ferry to Amsterdam, and the plan now is to drive into Frankfurt, then onto Munich for the opening game on Friday, before heading onto Cologne and Stuttgart.

In total, Scott estimates they will travel over 2000 miles.

When they get back home, Scott hopes that the car could be displayed in the Transport Museum of Scotland.

Speaking this morning, he said: “The car is going as well as it can. I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve been feeling all emotions setting off. Excited, nervous and apprehensive.

“I’m fully aware it’s only a £400 car, so it’s a big ask and a long way for it to go with no hiccups.

“It’s gone okay so far. We drove down to Newcastle last night for the ferry at half 5, then today we are headed to Frankfurt for a night.

“We docked at 9.45am this morning and are now just passing through Dusseldorf.

"Once we get home, I’d love for it to be displayed in the Transport Museum of Scotland. That would be amazing.

British consulate in Munich, Mark Dittmer-Odell, has estimated that around 200,000 Scotland fans will be traveling to Munich for the nation’s opening match against Germany on Friday night.

Luckily, Scott and his “banger” crew have managed to secure tickets to all three of Scotland’s group stage ties.

Follow the Tartan Banger on Instagram at instagram.com/the_tartan_banger_.

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