A GROUP of vintage car enthusiasts will be touring the sights offered up by the Swan Hill region when they bring their almost century-old vehicles to town.Members of the Austin 7 Club will host their Swan Hill border run this weekend, kicking off the four-day event on Friday.
The group will be hitting the back roads between Swan Hill, Woorinen, Nyah, Speewa and Lake Boga, collecting poker cards along their journey and visiting local businesses.
About 70 people are expected to get take part, with more than 30 of the classic British cars expected to be involved.
One of the event’s organisers and member of the Victorian Austin 7 Club Rob Storr said the event was a way to bring together lovers of Austin 7s from two states.
“The Austin 7 clubs of South Australia and Victoria have been holding a meet at roughly around the border of the two states for close to 40 or 50 years.
“It used to be on the Queen’s Birthday weekend, but somebody decided we’d hold it in September because the weather is that bit better.
Mr Storr said he suggested the border run return to Swan Hill, following a trip to the town with his wife Helen earlier this year.
“It’s just a really nice town to visit and the weather is great at this time of year. It looks as though the weather gods are going to shine on us for this border run.
“Swan Hill’s local car club has been extraordinarily helpful, they’re just a fantastic support.
“We’ve had to organise places to eat and other little pit stops around the region, so we’ll see a lot of the local towns.”
Vintage Sports Car Club of Australia said Austin 7s were the ubiquitous entry-level vintage car for their members. A large restoration effort goes into the cars.
The small and simple vintage cars were produced in the United Kingdom between 1923 and 1939, but the majority of cars in the involved clubs were manufactured in Australia.
Mr Storr said it took a special breed of enthusiast to take an interest in the cars.
“You’ve got to be a bit of a masochist to be interested in Austin 7s,” he said.
“They’re quite a small vehicle to travel around in, they don’t they don’t stop that well, and they don’t have that same go as other cars.
“With a top speed of close to 70km/h, we steer clear of the highways – it’s quite the experience when a B-double truck roars past.
“The cars that we play with are 80 and 90 years old, they’re just a whole different beast.
“If you’re interested in cars, often you gravitate to what your dad had or what your grandfather had when you were growing up.
“The other main attraction, though, is the people you meet in clubs like this, being social and around people with the similar kind of passions as you.”
The event ends on Monday.
