"This is brilliant in my eyes, not just for those working on organising the rally but the public too.
"Wanganui's copped a few negatives recently and the latest has been missing out on the cycling centre of excellence. We deserve some pluses and this is certainly one of those."
He said the organisers did not know at this stage if Mason was going to bring any vintage vehicles out from England, where his collection is housed on an aerodrome in Gloucestershire.
"But he will be guest speaker at a number of functions that will happen during the rally," Mr Boyd said.
"On that basis we're expecting him to be here for the duration of the rally. I'm utterly chuffed he's coming. It's a neat thing to happen for us and the rally."
The rally is expected to attract about 1000 rare vintage vehicles, with about a fifth of those coming from overseas.
Organisers expect the rally to generate a $12 million economic bonus for Wanganui and the surrounding district.
Interest in the event has seen overseas competitors already registering and Wanganui Collegiate and Wanganui Girls' College hostels have been earmarked for accommodation, while local motels are expected to be filled with visitors.
Mr Boyd said people needed to understand that the international rally was going to be a huge event in the city.
"You have to imagine what the city's going to be like, with 1000 vintage vehicles in the city for those 12 days," he said.
As well as numerous events happening in the city, there will be events that take many of the cars across the region on a series of separate runs.
