A Highlight of Nelson's History: The 13Th International Vintage And Veteran Car Rally

The 13th International Vintage and Veteran Car Rally must be noted as one of the more memorable events in Nelson's history.

Few people would have been unaffected by the friendly invasion of more than 760 of motoring's pioneers as they converged on this city from various New Zealand points. From numerous New Zealand centres, from most Australian states, from England, Indo­nesia, America, Hong Kong and South Africa, entries for this largest ever gathering of vintage cars were received.

For more than a week, Nelson played host to these venerable old vehicles and their crews,

Popular makes of the 1930s were a com­mon sight as they cruised along our streets and roads. Among the Model T's and the Austins were sprinkled even rarer vehicles, too numerous to list here.

There were Bugatti's, Rolls Royces, Armstrong Siddeleys, a Doble steam car, a 1901 Locomobile, a 1900 Wolseley (the oldest ear in the rally), numerous motor­cycles, fire engines and trucks.

What stories those cars could tell! Stories of times when things were tougher. Left to rot under hedges; rusting in sheds and paddocks; stripped of parts and deserted; converted to work machines on farms; damaged by floods; battered in accidents; sorely neglected. For the cars in the rally, those times were over. Just reward was theirs and the attention now lavished on them was mirrored in the glossy paintwork and gleaming brass.

Nelson will probably never see anything quite like the rally again.