Photo: Angryman Photography
A group of classic Bentleys crossing Australia unexpectedly found themselves sharing one of Victoria’s most famous driving roads with the Australian Tarmac Rally Tour.
The Coast to Coast Bentley Tour had begun in Perth after cars were flown in from Ireland, the United Kingdom and Germany. From there, the group set out across the Nullarbor toward Melbourne as part of a major transcontinental journey.
By chance, their route through the Victorian High Country crossed with the Australian Tarmac Rally Tour during the Great Tarmac Rally.
That coincidence created a rare opportunity.
With Reefton Spur closed for the rally, the Bentley group joined the ATR Tour and was able to experience the iconic stretch of road in conditions normally reserved for the rally field.
For the visiting crews, it added a very different chapter to an already extraordinary Australian road trip, combining historic grand touring machinery with one of the country’s best known tarmac rally roads.
The sight of the Bentleys alongside the modern performance cars and rally machinery also provided an unexpected contrast between two very different parts of motoring culture.
It was a reminder of the variety of vehicles, people and experiences that can come together around motorsport, sometimes completely by chance.
The Coast to Coast Bentley Tour continued on toward Melbourne after its Reefton Spur detour, while the Australian Tarmac Rally field continued through the Victorian High Country as part of the three day Great Tarmac Rally.
