Cape Town — A British duo will attempt to drive from Cape Town to London in 10 days, the Cape Argus reported on Tuesday.

Philip Young and Paul Brace would set off from the Mount Nelson Hotel on February 1, and travel 15,000 kilometres in a 875cc car.

The previous world record for the trip, across two continents and through 11 countries, was 14 days, 19 hours and 26 minutes.

"We are not stopping other than to fill up and at borders. It's truly non-stop: about 1600km every 24-hours," Young told the newspaper.

The car had been fitted with a tracking device to ensure they did not break the speed limit. They would also eat self-heating food and would take turns driving to make the trip more bearable.

Some of their fears included being stopped at night, losing time at roadside checks, bandits in Libya and their car breaking down on treacherous roads in northern Kenya.

They aimed to raise UK10,000 (about R140,437) for the charity Farm Africa.