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Mike and Marianne Knowles, from Auckland,
along with their 1924 3-litre short-chassis, red-label,
speed-model Bentley are part of the New Zealand Bentley
Tour 2010, which started on January 20 in Christchurch
and finishes on March 6 in Auckland.
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| Blair
Ensor / Marlborough Express |
Twenty-three Bentley cars, including
one of New Zealand's oldest, have rolled into Blenheim
as part of a five week nationwide tour.
The New Zealand Bentley Tour 2010 started on January
20 in Christchurch and finishes on March 6 in Auckland.
Mike and Marianne Knowles' 1924, 3-litre short-chassis,
red-label, speed-model Bentley is one of only two New
Zealand-owned Bentleys taking part in the five-week
jaunt around the country.
There are also 21 Bentleys and four Lagondas from England
taking part in the tour. Mr Knowles, who has owned his
classic car for 37 years, said it was one of the oldest
in New Zealand.
"The only thing that's not original is the driver
and the passenger," he said.
The relic of the motoring industry was first owned by
Forrest Lycett, who went on to become a famous Bentley
racing driver.
In the 1950s, Mr Lycett set a record on the Jabbeke
Straight in Belgium where he drove an 8-litre Bentley
over 241 kilometres an hour.
Mr Knowles' vehicle is not quite as quick, but it still
has plenty of power under the hood. "It's a man's
car, it goes like s...," he said.
The car comfortably handles speeds of up to 110kmh,
but despite his urges, he has never pushed its limits
because he is wary of blowing up the engine.
Mrs Knowles said that throughout the trip a number of
people had approached them with "lovely stories"
about old cars and had thanked them for maintaining
a piece of history.
The country's quiet open roads were the main talking
point for the tour's British members.
Peter Brennan, from Cambridge, England, who was returning
for his third visit to New Zealand with his 1930 Le
Mans Bentley, joked that he might never return home.
"It's superb ... there's a lot of countries where
you can't do this because of heavy traffic."
Event organiser Frank Renwick, of Christchurch, said
it was the fifth time the tour had taken place since
1999.
Blenheim residents could expect to see some of the cars
"putting" around town until tomorrow when
the tour embarked on its North Island leg.
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