ADELAIDES MOTORING GEM THE BAY TO BIRDWOOD
Stay there too long and you will undoubtedly be reminded of two things: One, that South Australia is the only state that didn’t start off its life as a penal colony, and two: that Melbourne stole the Grand Prix from them.
In fact, I’ve long held the belief that buried away in sheds in remote country towns with names like Renmark, Ceduna and Goolwa lies a treasure trove of forgotten classics - the type of barn finds we only ever read about while wishing we had an estranged great uncle with a massive, unexplored hangar living off the grid somewhere in remote Arkansas.
Yep, they love their cars those crow-eaters! So it’s no surprise that the sleepy Adelaide Hills with its Beatrix Potter vistas, comes alive every year with the mother of all car rallies, the Bay to Birdwood.
With a history dating back to 1980, the Bay to Birdwood needs to be experienced to be believed.
An estimated 1,000 cars or more participate on even years when the event celebrates vintage, veteran and pre-1955 cars and motorcycles and when you’re in the right car, you can truly feel like rock star royalty.
My motor of choice for the day was a suitably regal Mulliner-bodied, 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Saloon, resplendent in black over maroon, courtesy of Adelaide local and Motorclassica Chief Judge, John Virgo.
It was an early departure to get to the starting grid on the foreshore, and though we arrived around 7.45am, the reserve was already packed with the most diverse array of everyday classics, literally for as far as the eye could see.
A walk through the field revealed a lot about South Australia’s collector car scene. This is a movement of drivers, not trailer queens.
These examples represented the pride and joy of Everyman enthusiasts, with nary a Delage or Bentley in sight.
Instead, a delightful cacophony of Chevrolets, Fords, Holdens, Rileys, MGs, Pontiacs and Jaguars – our Roller would have been completely out of place if it weren’t for the coos of appreciation from the passing throng.
And that’s when I was struck with how wonderful the collector car movement is in this country. There are no class barriers when a Packard limousine parks alongside an FX Holden and both can draw a crowd.
In this melting pot of automotive design and engineering, every car, and every one, is equal, but that isn’t to say that one still can’t feel like Ringo Starr when he joined the Beatles in Melbourne in 1964.
Adelaide comes out to play for the Bay to Birdwood and crowds line the street all the way to the National Motor Museum nestled in the Adelaide Hills.
Queue waving and cheering, the honking of horns and the swelling of egos to Kardashian proportions. But it’s all in good fun, and good fun it is.
Never have I smiled so much or laughed so hard as when I sat in the passenger’s seat whilst promenading down a crowded Wakefield Street, my hand out the window like the Prince of Edinburgh.
On arrival in Birdwood, it’s once again all about the cars, which seem to have multiplied over the journey, if that’s at all possible.
There is a concours of course, and prizes for winning costumes, but really it’s all incidental. It’s the atmosphere of the Bay to Birdwood that enchants.
Part Goodwood Revival, part combined club event on steroids, it unearthed a number of automotive highlights.
A trio of 1920s Packards for instance, including an incredible Gatsby-esque bright yellow roadster, were true showstoppers. “Daisy Belle”, the 1904 De Dion Bouton Tourer, its owner truly committed to preserving its originality, a veteran stand out and worthy of an entry in any international concours d’elegance.
A 1912 Renault CB – the same model that went down with the Titanic – was an incredible exercise in remanufacturing and a credit to its owner, while the newly-restored 1959 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk III, one of only 551 built, was the car everyone would have liked to take home.
It is a delight to watch so many generations enjoy classic motoring. And it’s refreshing to experience the complete lack of cynicism with which participants embrace their vintage outfits, and generously share their passion with others. It feels for a moment, like we are in better times. Friendlier times, before Facebook and social media outrage.
I can’t wait to go back next year!
Paul Mathers is the Event Director of Motorclassica and classic car owner.
Follow him on Instagram @pauljmathers
