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Matakana MG enthusiasts Rex and Sheryl Thompson will have all their bases covered when they join the Daffodil Rally for Cancer on Sunday, August 26.
If it’s nice weather they will take the MGA Roadster, roll the top down and enjoy the sunshine. If it looks like rain, they will stay warm and dry in their MGA Fixed Head Coupé.
Cars participating in the rally will assemble at Smales Farm, Takapuna, at 10am. They will start departing at 11.15am, taking a scenic route featuring both east and west coasts, before finishing in the Warkworth town centre.
Cars are expected to start arriving in Warkworth around noon, creating a colourful spectacle in the Warkworth Wharf area. Wharf Street and Kapanui Street will be closed to regular traffic from 11am.
Rex participated in the first Daffodil Rally last year and is looking forward to repeating the experience.
“It’s great to participate, meet people and see some of the other cars,” he says.
Rex has owned MGs since the 1950s and is a founding member of Auckland’s MG Car Club.
His Fixed Head Coupé was made in 1958 and he has owned it for 18 years. The Roadster dates from 1960 and Rex has had it for about four years.
He acquired the Roadster from a collector in Wellington, who previously found it rotting in a barn in New York. The collector restored the car but, ultimately, found it was too small for him to sit in comfortably.
Rex bought the Roadster following urgings from Sheryl.
“That was all the encouragement I needed. Once you have got an MG, you are hooked,” he says.
Rex says with older cars there’s inevitably a lot of work to be done to keep them running. He’s had issues with the Roadster’s gearbox and the motor has had to come out of the Fixed Head Coupé several times for major repairs.
“It’s not expensive if you do it yourself. There are also a lot of guys who enjoy working on MGs and are happy to come and help.”
He adds that the cars are generally easy to work on and there is ready access to parts.
“When I lift the bonnet, I can see the engine. Try that on a new car,” he says.
The Daffodil Rally is organised by the Wellsford Warkworth, North Shore and Waitemata Vintage Car Clubs and the One Warkworth Business Association.
All motorists are encouraged to join the rally, not just those with classic vehicles. Proceeds from the $10 registration fee go to the Cancer Society.
Wellsford Warkworth Vintage Car Club captain Anne Richardson says the rally route runs for about 60km along sealed roads. Drivers will get a briefing on places of interest along the route.
A representative from the Cancer Society will address motorists and spectators in Warkworth at the end of the rally.
One Warkworth manager Murray Chapman says more than 120 cars participated last year and the town centre was packed, even though the weather was poor. He encourages shops and cafes to open on the day and take advantage of the extra foot traffic. One café that did last year achieved four times its usual daily turnover.
Info: Anne Richardson 021 277 9010
