Inaugural Rally Shanghai to London 2012

Simply Classics have formed a strategic alliance with Rally Tours New Zealand to jointly initiate some great classic car drives around the world. Greg Paul, the Managing Director of Rally Tours NZ is highly experienced in organising such events. Just go to www.rallytours.co.nz.

This inaugural event, following the Silk Route, is an extension of the already established Peking to Paris Rally that Greg has now been running for several years with Classic Cars and 4WD’s.

Why Shanghai as a starting point?

• It is the largest port in the world.
• Ease of access for vehicle transport from New Zealand.
• This is a new rally with new ingredients especially designed for post WW II Classic Cars.
• It follows one of the great journeys of modern man, the Silk Route, across Asia to Europe.
• The rally is designed for car lovers who really enjoy great drives with spectacular and varied scenery, who want to share the experience with like-minded people.
• Travel across the Gobi Desert and Siberia, visit the Terracotta Soldiers, The Great Wall of China, some of the great Car Museums of Europe along the way and drive the Nuremburg Ring.
• Travel 13,000 kms in 52 days, staying in Hotel-type accommodation all the way.

Why Finish in London?

• Visit Beaulieu Car Museum.
• It will allow entrants to travel independently around the UK when finished, if they wish. When finished, they just leave their vehicle with the shipping agents in London and it will arrive back in New Zealand, with another, in its shipping container.
• Simply Classics and Rally Tours New Zealand want the entrants to enjoy a complete motoring experience coupled with the history of Asia, Europe and the UK to create a memorable experience for the motoring enthusiasts that will be tattooed forever in their memories.
• Stay on and see the 2012 London Olympics.

For those who wish to view the event from afar, they will be able to view the Simply Classics web site for daily video updates of the journey. Simply Classics will be filming the whole rally, editing, and downloading the trip onto their web site for viewers from around the world to view and watch their progress.

In creating this event, it was decided that entrants in the rally would participate in cars that are post World War II and up to 1990 as a year of manufacture, allowing the entrants’ Classic Cars to be from 20 to 65 years old.