RAF Puma goes from air to land as it's transformed into Caterham Seven sports car

A car made from the old parts of a decommissioned Royal Air Force Puma helicopter is being sold to raise money for military charities.

Sports car manufacturer Caterham Cars teamed up with the RAF to create a special edition Seven 360R, which was built using the skin, interior and other components of the Puma HC2.

The car is set to be auctioned to gather funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund, which offers support to serving members of the RAF, their families and veterans.

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The money will also go to Mission Motorsport, a forces charity that looks to help aid the recovery of those affected by military operations through motorsport.

It is hoped that the collaborative effort between the RAF, Caterham Cars, Mission Motorsport and the RAF Benevolent Fund will raise over £100,000 for the charities.

For authenticity, the external skin of the car has been kept as it was when it was taken from the aircraft, with the remaining panels being painted a matching Nato Green and the chassis finished in Desert Sand.

The car was unveiled at the Silverstone British Grand Prix and it also made an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

It will continue to tour events throughout the summer and will be auctioned off via the classic car auction site Collecting Cars in September.

It was assembled by Caterham Cars and serving personnel at RAF Benson, the home of Joint Aviation Command, which operates the Puma.

RAF Benevolent Fund official Neil Tomlin said the charity was delighted to have worked on the project.

"The completed car showcases the engineering excellence of those who have taken part in building this truly unique Caterham while simultaneously raising awareness of both charities supporting serving and retired military personnel and their families," he said.

"The money donated to the Fund through the sale of this outstanding car will enable us to provide a range of welfare support to our beneficiaries and helps ensure that no member of the RAF family will ever have to face adversity alone."

Puma helicopters are used for a number of roles, including the tactical movement of troops and weapons, the extraction of casualties on the frontline, and humanitarian and disaster relief missions.