Members' cars range from Rolls-Royces to Minis and the little Austin 7. Photo / Supplied
Members' cars range from Rolls-Royces to Minis and the little Austin 7. Photo / Supplied
Be prepared to have your vehicular memory banks jolted this weekend.
More than 50 cars have registered for the Manawatū Branch of the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand's 60th jubilee.
On Saturday there will be a rally "run what yer brung", with lunch at Āpiti and dinner at theclubrooms. On Sunday, jubilee attendees can do a self-guided tour to places of interest including museums, gardens and cafes.
Past chairman Brian Halcox is used to hearing comments such as "I remember these cars" and "my father had one of those".
"When you are driving a vintage car you are driving a memory. It's so good, people love it, they absolutely love it."
Rallies are a feature of club activities. "If you have got a vintage car there's always somewhere you can go, [somewhere] you've not struck and it's not repetitive."
In 1961, expressions of interest were called for to form a vintage car club in Manawatū. Seventeen people with old cars were going to Whanganui for meetings and rallies and when the Manawatū branch started Whanganui donated money to help.
Vintage car club members have access to a parts shed with parts usually available at a more economical cost. Photo / Supplied
The Manawatū club was officially formed in April 1962 and the first chairman was Ken Townshend.
in 1973, it ended up at Milson Aerodrome but there was a strong desire among members to have their own clubrooms. The club bought the old brick and pipe clay pit in upper Kelvin Grove Rd.
They had to beg, borrow and coerce equipment such as bulldozers and diggers to build the clubrooms and many hours were put in by club members, Halcox says. Car shows and raffles were the order of the day to pay the bills. Local businesses also came to the party.
In August 1981, the first branch meeting was held at The Grove but members then kept meeting at the aerodrome until the clubrooms became more habitable.
Any vehicle more than 30 years old, including commercial and motorcycles, is eligible as a recognised vintage car club vehicle. Photo / Supplied
The club now has about 150 members. If you have a car that is more than 30 years old you can join.
Halcox says it is quite an achievement for the club to make 60 years. For the record, he drove a 1974 Triumph to this interview.
This is a Public Interest Journalism funded role through NZ On Air
