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Shiny black Chryslers are Diane Ross’ favourite cars. She owns two.
The Canterbury car enthusiast’s favourite is a 1936 Convertible Coupe, which she has owned for more than 50 years. It has its original AA badge and factory radio.
The other is a PT Cruiser, which Diane describes as her everyday car.
It came to New Zealand in a special small batch of about 50 cars and its retro shape and chrome attachments appealed.
Diane and her husband, Rob, have taken part in numerous rallies and vintage car tours with their vehicles.
The couple were in Christchurch when they saw the Coupe and Diane decided to purchase it.
They drove it home and tidied it up.
She said they never totally restored it as it wasn’t necessary.
“It was well-looked after as the previous owners had all been women,” Diane said.
More than 50 years ago, Diane joined Rob who was attending meetings of the Ashburton Vintage Car Club. He was a vintage car and machinery enthusiast.
“I thought if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em,” she said.
Nowadays, Diane thinks she is more hooked than Rob.
More than 10 years ago she was elected patron of the branch, and this month was awarded life membership for her long and loyal service.
She is the first female in the branch to receive the honour.
“I found out a week before I received the award that I was getting it. I feel very honoured to have received it.”
She said “it has been an absolute pleasure to be involved with the club”.
“It is good to see the young ones joining the branch and getting involved.
“However, the cost of owning vintage cars is hard for young people, especially if they can’t do the work on their vehicle themselves,” Diane said.
She joined the branch in 1972 and has served on the committee, been secretary and treasurer.
She has also taken an active role in the National Vintage Car Club committee, holding positions including committee member, South Island Club captain for eight years and writing 48 articles for the club’s magazine on vintage cars she felt were under-represented.
In 2016, she was awarded the Goddard trophy for her Brass Notes Column in the club’s magazine “Beaded Wheels”.
She and Rob have travelled far and wide to rallies, including international adventures.
In 1986, they shipped their 1925 Dodge Tourer to South Africa to participate in an international rally and in 2010, they and three others drove from Fremantle to Brisbane across the Nullarbor Plain in their 1929 Dodge.
“Only once in all the years of owning vintage cars have we had to trailer a vehicle and it was because of a broken crankshaft.”
Diane said with the speed of traffic nowadays, drivers of vintage vehicles are very aware that they do slow traffic down.
“We remind our members that at the speed they travel they need to aware of other road users,” she said.