Motoring enthuiasts choose Geelong for national meet

Greg Wane
Car fans will be busy over the Easter weekend, with three major national motor events planned for Geelong.
The city will host the MG National Meeting, the Zephyr and Zodiac Owners Club’s national rally and the Australian Van Nationals.
More than 250 of Australia’s best kept MGs from the earliest 1929 models through to the 1990 version of the marque, will be on display.
The MG meet will be jointly hosted by the Geelong MG Car Club and MG Car Club of Victoria.
The Geelong club’s Barry Coad said the concours d’elegance at Rippleside Park on Easter Saturday will be open to the public.
“We’ve got 258 cars entered for the concours and many of them are local cars,” Mr Coad said.
“The idea of the concours is to present a car in its most pristine condition.”
He said people will have the opportunity to get a close look at some of the finest examples of the British-built sports car in Australia from the pre-war classics, specials, TDs, TFs, MGAs , MGBs, Midgets as well as the modern-built MGF.
Geelong MG Car club member of 30 years Doug Sherman said he has meticulously restored a 1946 MG TC.
“I bought the car in pieces in 1983 and slowly restored it over 11 years,” he said.
The car will be on display at the Rippleside Park event.
On Easter Monday spectators will be able to see drivers’ skill and handling tested when 138 cars compete in three motorkhana courses at the Barwon Activity Centre at Belmont.
Ford Zephyr and Zodiac cars from the 1950s and ’60s will be on display at a show and shine at Steampacket Gardens on Easter Saturday, and hot rods and custom vans will be on show at the Geelong Showgrounds on Easter Sunday.