Classic cars roll through town on their way to rally in SA

Bob Roberts from Maitland was one of a number of members of the Rolls-Royce Owners Club of Australia who passed through Cobar over the weekend on his way to a national club rally in Clare, South Australia. Bob’s 20/25 Rolls-Royce was built in 1927.

Cobar has been a staging post for a group of members of the Rolls-Royce Owners Club of Australia from the eastern states on their way to the 2018 Federal Rally in Clare, South Australia.

The Cobar Weekly caught up with some of the members of a group of 15 people travelling in seven cars who overnighted in Cobar on Saturday.

David Vann, one of the group who was travelling with his wife Jean to take part in the Diamond Anniversary Federal Rally which kicks off today, said all of the cars in their group were built in the 1920s and 1930s.

They averaged about 150km per day and after arriving in Cobar late Saturday morning, the group did some shopping and a bit of sight-seeing before spending the night.

The Clare rally, which David said is not a race but more of a gathering of like-minded people, is expected to attract 150 cars from all around Australia.

One of David’s companions pointed out they don’t actually own their cars, they are just the “custodians of these cars”.

One of the finest cars among their group was a canary yellow 1925 Silver Ghost which belonged to retired neurosurgeon John Matheson from Sydney.

“He’s a fanatical Rolls-Royce owner,’ David said.

“He’s done lots of different rallies all around the world including the Peking to Paris motor challenge, twice.”

David said their cars have been running very well throughout the trip.

“We haven’t had a problem,” he said.

“They were built very well, they have been over-engineered for everything.”