It was a great pleasure to be involved in Tauranga's inaugural ‘London to Brighton' rally of vintage cars on Sunday, March 6.

My only official duty involved flag waving off the good number of cars in the rally from the appropriately named London Place, Judea.

Simon Bridges and Ivan Allen in the 1907 Cadillac.

From there on in it was all fun as I hopped into Ivan Allen's 1907 Cadillac, plum red in colour, and with immaculately polished brass (which Ivan told me he doesn't rub quite as enthusiastically as he did once upon a time).

During our journey I was Ivan's navigator as we cruised Tauranga's streets in the open air.

Despite the morning being overcast, it wasn't cold in our jackets, gloves and goggles. I am sure Ivan was used to all the waves and smiles, but I was surprised how a classic good looking car can really turn heads and get attention from young and old alike (maybe I will have to invest in one closer to the election!).

For an automobile designed over 100 years ago, I was also impressed by how smooth the ride was and how reliable this Caddy seemed to be.

Ivan told me on a good day you can get a top speed of about 25 miles an hour. As the saying goes, ‘they don't make ‘em like they used to'.

While I doubt I will ever have the skill and patience to have six vintage cars in my garage like Ivan does, I can certainly see the large attraction these classic beauties have in the Bay of Plenty. On Sunday, March 6 a convert was born.