Bentleys bring back bygone era in south
The New Zealand Vintage Bentley Tour has been organised by Arrowtown residents Adrian and Jennifer Cook for 61 owners of Bentleys built between 1924 and 1936.
The cars were made by Bentley Motors Limited, a British manufacturer of luxury automobiles and grand tourers. The company was founded in England in 1919.
The tour for the open-top WO Bentleys began in Christchurch on February 1.
The convoy is travelling around the South Island of New Zealand and will be finishing back in Christchurch at the end of the month.
The group travelled to Invercargill from Te Anau yesterday morning. The drivers first headed to Teretonga for a blast around the racetrack and were to fly to Stewart Island for a barbecue if the weather allowed.
Richard and Jenny Ford of Warwickshire, England are among the Bentley enthusiasts on the tour.
Mrs Ford, who is also chairperson of the International Vintage Bentley Drivers Club, said it had been a fantastic trip.
Its just been a fantastic tour. Weve seen beautiful countryside, fantastic scenery. The people have been great … so welcoming. Its just been fantastic, she said.
The Fords own transport and warehousing businesses. They own several Bentleys, but their 1930s 4.5-litre was the one they favoured for international road trips, she said.
Mrs Ford said it was a great hobby, they had travelled to “various countries including South Africa and Australia. Next stop would be Alaska and Canada.
The New Zealand tour had attracted Bentley collectors from all corners of the world. Most were from the United Kingdom, but others had come from Australia, Hong Kong, Mexico, South Africa and the United States.
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Saturday, February 23rd, 2008 at 4:27 pm under