She can still fit in her Land Rover, but if Abby Hayes (9), of Reidston, tries to put her feet down, her knees bump up against the steering wheel.
Her pedal-powered ride is a replica of her father, Ross Hayes’, 1954 Land Rover Series 1.
Mr Hayes built both off-road vehicles from the ground up, and when she was 4 years old Abby drove hers in Oamaru’s Christmas parade, her father said.
He started building his own Land Rover from a bare chassis when he was 18 years old and 6000 hours, or five years and three months ‘‘to the day’’, later he finished.
A teddy bear, Adventure Ted, was behind the wheel of Abby’s Land Rover yesterday, but she still enjoyed riding in the back of her father’s on the drive into Oamaru for the North Otago Vintage Car Club’s 2017 Daffodil Rally yesterday.
The vehicles were side by side on display.
‘‘You’ve got to have your toys, eh,’’ Mr Hayes said.
North Otago Vintage Car Club member and organiser on the day, Wayne Abernethy, of Oamaru, said 120 cars and motorcycles were shined up and entered and about 400 people came through the gates at the Awamoa Rd site yesterday.
Through entry fees and gold coin donations, the 55-year-old, 140-member club raised $1500 for the local branch of the Cancer Society of NZ.
Vintage car clubs nationwide held Daffodil Rallies.
There were 14 events in the North Island yesterday and 10 in the South Island, including rallies in Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Wanaka, Gore and Otatara.
