Southland Vintage Car Club president Gerry Pethick is looking forward to seeing the club’s 1906 Darracq tootle its way out to Riverton for the club’s 70th anniversary in February. The vehicle was restored from its derelict condition by club members after they rescued if from behind the Lumsden hotel. In its former life, it was used as the mail truck between Te Anau and Lumsden. The old truck was shipped in pieces in multiple trailer loads to Invercargill. PHOTO: TONI McDONALD
Southland Vintage Car Club president Gerry Pethick said the park was the starting point for the club's 70th birthday rally.
"We have an annual rally every February, but this one ... is a wee bit more special than what they usually are.
"We are calling it our anniversary rally."
The public are welcome to have a look around the 58 vintage cars on display in Kelvin St from 9am before they head off on the rally at 10am.
Multiple out-of-town entries have been received from Methven, Timaru, Waimate, Balclutha, Winton, Dunedin, Mosgiel, Clyde, Arrowtown, Alexandra, Bluff and Invercargill.
Mr Pethick said some people would be in for a real treat as there would be some really interesting cars on display. A 1929 Willys Knight would be travelling from Methven for the special event.
Included in the rally will be the club's operational 1906 Darracq which members restored after rescuing it from its derelict state behind the Lumsden hotel. In its former life, it was used as the mail truck between Te Anau and Lumsden.
Other interesting vehicles worthy of a look include a 1911 EMF, a 1918 Sunbeam and a 1912 Renault.
Vehicle models older than 1995 were now considered vintage and later models, such at a 1984 Volvo and a 1986 Toyota, would also likely provide a treat for the younger visitors on the day, he said.
"To be eligible for the vintage club now, the car's only got to be 30 years old ... so we cover everything in between and we've got a fair range of vehicles."
The rally would take two different routes, depending on the ages of the vehicles, but the Riverton Rugby Club grounds would be the final destination.
Vehicles would be leaving the starting point every 20-30 seconds to avoid causing a traffic jam on the roads.
"The public's quite welcome to have a look around them at the Kelvin St start and then they can watch them go through the park ... and the rest of it's just cruising around Western Southland.
People were also welcome to join the club at the rugby grounds to see the cars go through their paces in some of the field tests, Mr Pethick said.
- By Toni McDonald
