A unique hybrid vehicle created more than 20 years ago for an advertising campaign appeared in London’s New Year’s Day parade after being restored by volunteers at a local heritage attraction.

The “supercar” was bought by the Epping Ongar Railway (EOR) five years ago and was recently restored to its former glory to be used as a promotional vehicle.

It was requested to appear at the New Year parade by Transport for London (TfL), as the theme of the event was 'London on the move'.

The bizarre vehicle, which is jokingly referred to as “half tube, half train, half bus”, was driven in the parade by EOR volunteer Ron Crombie.

He said: “It is good fun to drive, it is not tough. It is quite stable considering it was only ever made as an exhibition.

“It is remarkable that it is still in use.”

The Supercar was first built for a television advert announcing the launch of the London Travelcard in 1991, and is actually constructed out of sections of the three original vehicles.

The parade was a great success, said Mr Crombie.

He said: “The parade went very well, we had some overheating problems with it before but thankfully we had no issues with it.”

The Supercar will now go back into storage until around Easter, when the EOR will continue to use it at heritage events.