Bangers to Bluff 2018 — it’s on again!

21 November, 2017

 


 

The 2018 dates for the annual Bangers to Bluff car rally have been announced, and team entries are now being called for. Up to 20 old bangers — four-door cars with WOF and rego, costing less than $2K — will leave Auckland April 10, 2018, and spend the next 13 days driving roads less travelled all the way to Invercargill, where the organizers will take ownership of each car and auction them off to raise funds for charity.

Bangers to Bluff has been run by the Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay for the last three years, with steady growth each year as its popularity has increased. So far, it has raised $85K for charity, and the masthead charities for 2018 are:

  • Hopeworks Foundation — providing information and support for those dealing with brain injuries
  • Multiple Sclerosis New Zealand — working to reduce the burden of multiple sclerosis on those diagnosed, their carers, and families.

The route will cover approximately 2500km of some of New Zealand’s best and most scenic roads, including the North Island’s Forgotten World Highway and the South Island’s Haast and Arthur’s passes. The main goals are to raise funds and awareness for the charities, while having loads of fun and travelling our great country. The rally is not a driving competition. It is a fun and friendly event with points won for challenges along the way, and a trophy is awarded at the end. 

The organizing committee is now looking for participants for the 2018 event. Participation can be in the form of entering a team and vehicle to go on the rally, or through sponsorship and/or donations. If you would like to know more, reach out to the team through one of the following channels:

  • bangerstobluff.co.nz
  • Facebook.com/bangerstobluff
  • Peter Bailey, 0274 736 994
  • [email protected].

The Bangers to Bluff committee would like to acknowledge the support of platinum sponsors Fruehauf and CarJam, as well as supporting partners Protecta Insurance and the Automobile Association.
 

Breakfast of champions – Brink

Some older readers may recall the amusing late 60s advertisement for a breakfast drink using World Champion racing driver Graham Hill which was made while he was out here competing in the Tasman Series.
“Drink Brink” was the phrase, subtly altered by Graham’s characteristic lisp into “Dwink Bwinkl” which drew a grin or two.
Southland Mini racing enthusiast Howard Kingsford-Smith has preserved a little bit of Mini racing history when he re-created the “Brink Mini” some 25 years ago.
“I bought what remained of the original car and made a replica I suppose or look-a-like of the original Brink Mini from Cathy Henderson about 25 years ago,” Howard explained.

The motor car as an art form

We have certainly come a long way since the exhibition entitled 8 Automobiles, shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the autumn of 1951, the first exhibition concerned with the aesthetics of motor car design.
It was here that the often-used term ‘rolling sculpture’ was coined by curator Philip C Johnson, director of the department of architecture and design, when he said, “An automobile is a familiar 20th century artefact, and is no less worthy of being judged for its visual appeal than a building or a chair. Automobiles are hollow, rolling sculptures, and their design refinements are fascinating. We have selected cars whose details and basic design suggest that automobiles, besides being America’s most useful objects, could be a source of visual experience more enjoyable than they now are.”