LORD Montagu of Beau-lieu and one of his historic cars are all set for yet another challenging rally in the heat of the Middle Eastern climate.

He and the National Motor Museum's chief mechanical engineer, Doug Hill, will be setting off next month for the 1,500-mile 'Jewel that is Jordan Kingdom of Peace Rally'.

And he was in confident mood when he put the car he will be driving - a 1914 Rolls-Royce Alpine Eagle - through its paces at Beaulieu over the weekend.

Having served in Jordan with the Grenadier Guards in 1947, Lord Montagu confirmed this will be his first return visit.

But he said: "I understand the roads there are better now and a lot of them are made up. We have also put shock absorbers into the car which will make the journey more comfortable and work has also been done on the breaks."

When asked what he would do in the event of any breakdown, he said: "I am taking my chief engineer and I am sure that he will be able to put anything right if something does need to be done."

Mr Hill said: "Rolls-Royces don't break down, but there is just the odd occasion when they fail to proceed. But these varieties of Rolls- Royce are famous for being able to deal with extreme temperatures."

The car, Lord Montagu said, is very similar to the one used by Lawrence of Arabia in the Desert campaign and he added: "The one he used was armoured, but it proved that these cars can cope with the conditions we are likely to experience."

Lord Montagu had a star passenger from the film world for his run through the grounds of Beaulieu.

Actor Oliver Tobias and his wife Arabella were staying with Lord Montagu at Palace House over the weekend and they stepped on board the immaculate blue vehicle in the beaming sunshine.

Mr Tobias starred with Joan Collins in The Stud and he has just finished filming The Method with Liz Hurley in Bucharest.