Motoring
Easter 2018 will see the biggest ever gathering of Jaguar cars in Southland with nearly 250 of them coming from all over New Zealand. They’ll be free for Southlanders to view in Queens Park from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday 31 March.
What’s the occasion? The 2018 Jaguar National Rally. The rally is held every three years and this is the first time it’s been hosted in Invercargill.
“We’ve been blown away by the level of interest in coming to Southland,” said organising committee chair Brett Flintoff. “A lot of people from the North Island are telling me they’ve never been this far South before and they’re really looking forward to it.”
The Rally also marks the 70th anniversary of the XK120 sports car. In 1948 most British cars were working hard just to climb a decent hill, so a car named for its top speed of 120 mph – 192 kph in modern money – made a real stir.
There will be around a dozen examples of the XK120 and successor XK140/XK150 models on display at Queens Park. These will be joined by a huge variety of Jaguar models ranging from the 1930s right through to 2018.
“One of our challenges for the Rally was finding space for this many people and their cars,” said Brett Flintoff. “We were delighted that ICC have allowed us to use their award-winning park for our display. The ILT Invercargill Licensing Trust have been marvellous with their support at all levels, great people to deal with. And Jaguar Landrover NZ has also been very supportive of the Rally – they just love to see their motoring heritage being celebrated and enjoyed.”
“It’s good for all of Southland as well. We’re directing people on tours to Gore, Bluff and Riverton, and when the Rally finishes there’s a contingent headed for Stewart Island.”
The event also celebrates an iconic Southland charity, Hospice Southland. They’ll be around on the day rattling their buckets for gold coin donations.
https://whatsoninvers.nz/events/jaguar-rally-show-shine/