Dream car delivers charity muscle

Behind the wheel of one of the 52 historic cars will be Parilla's Darryl McNeilly and Gavin Branson, Hamley Bridge. The duo will team up to drive Darryl's 1970 Ford Falcon XY GT replica 3118 kilometres across three states over nine days in late October and early November.

The Aussie Muscle Car Run has been running annually since 2012, raising funds for the Leukaemia Foundation while giving car fans in country Australia the opportunity to see some of Australia's most iconic cars in action. Organisers of this year's event are hoping to raise $350,000 for the foundation.

Darryl's interest in the run came when the event visited Pinnaroo as part of the journey in 2012 and 2013.

"The past two years the Aussie Muscle Car Run has been going though Pinnaroo," he said. "I actually own an old car and for the last couple of years I've been pretty keen to do something like this with it."

He says the event is a chance to test out the Falcon while also helping those in need.

"It's a two-way street," he said. "We get a bit of enjoyment out of driving the car through the countryside while raising a bit of money for the Leukaemia Foundation - it's a win-win. I do have a bit of community spirit and like to give something back to the community."

A salesman with Park Motors in Pinnaroo, Darryl met Gavin through his work at Gawler Farm Machinery at Roseworthy, with both dealers part of the RMGH group.

"We hit it off as friends and since I already had the car, I just asked him one day if he wanted to be a co-driver and fortunately he said yes," Darryl said.

A fan of historic and classic cars, Darryl has owned the XY Falcon - painted to replicate a GT - for two years.

"It's got a bit of sentimental value for me because my first car was an XY when I started driving at 16," he said. "When I got this car I went and hunted down the old number plates that I had on my first car, and those number plates are on this car now.

"Having an old car is something I've always wanted to do. There's something special about them - the way they smell and the way they sound."

The run will leave the starting line of the Clipsal 500 track in Adelaide on October 31, travelling through Waikerie and Renmark before stopping off at Hay, NSW. Teams will then head to Bathurst, where drivers will be able to cross a once-in-a-lifetime experience off the bucket list - completing hot laps around the Mount Panorama racetrack.

"That's something that's been a dream of mine since I was a kid - doing a couple of hot laps at Bathurst," Darryl said.

"I'm looking forward to meeting new people and seeing all the cars, but Bathurst is going to be the best experience."

The run will then make its way to Wagga Wagga and Benalla, stopping off for a head-to-head challenge - drag racing at Wilby Park in Vic.

The drivers will get another chance to test their skills with time trials at Winton Raceway before passing through Ballarat and along the Great Ocean Road to Warrnambool. Drivers will then make their way back into SA, stopping off at Mount Gambier for the Legends of the Lakes Hill Climb, before visiting Penola, Naracoorte, Keith, Tintinara and Coonalpyn on their way back to Adelaide.

This year's route is vastly different to the course travelled in previous years, with earlier runs visiting Glastone, Kimba, Tanunda, Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Wallaroo, Mount Gambier and Tailem Bend.

The Aussie Muscle Car Run is open to muscle cars built from 1963 to 1977, and vehicle types that participated in Bathurst between 1965 and 1977.

Vehicles joining the XY Falcon are likely to include Holden Monaros, Toranas, Kingswoods, Ford Mustangs, Capris, and Falcon utes and panel vans. Other cars registered to compete include Chrysler Regal Valiants, Valiant Chargers, a Sunbeam Tiger and a Mini Cooper S.

In its first two years, the event has raised more than $600,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation, with funds helping build the Bridgestone Australian Leukaemia Foundation Village. At a cost of $10 million, the purpose-built facility provides free accommodation to rural and regional patients and their families who must head to Adelaide for treatment.

The duo have set themselves a lofty fundraising goal which, if achieved, would make a big difference to the lives of patients with blood cancer.

"Gavin and I have set a target of raising $30,000," Darryl said. "I've drawn up a bit of a plan and it should be achievable - we just need people to come on board as sticker sponsors.

"We've shown the car at the Karoonda and Kapunda farm fairs, and we hope to get it to RMGH branches where people can see the car and hopefully donate a few dollars."

* Full report in Stock Journal, May 1, 2014 issue.