Historic car rally coming to south Bristol tonight

A historic car rally featuring around 30 vehicles is coming to south Bristol tonight (Friday, October 27).

Lombard Rally Bath will be holding a demonstration at Hengrove Park, featuring cars from the 1960s through to the 1990s.

Tim Nash set up Lombard Rally Bath in 2018 to recreate the iconic rally of the 1970s and 80s.

Free to attend, this is the second year a rally has been held in Hengrove Park, with events also happening in Bath.   

“I’m one of the old fogeys who did the event when it was based in Bath as a competitive rally in the 1970s and 80s,” said Tim, who lives in Brislington.

“In mainland Europe there are a lot of events called hero events, involving old rally cars, set up to look like this but done on a non-competitive basis.

“Nobody had ever run one in the UK so, so we had the idea to try to do one which we did for the first time in 2018 and it has run annually since.

“The idea is to bring old-fashioned rally cars which people can’t use out to somewhere they can drive them and people can see them.” 

The rally will include classic cars such as the Ford Escort, Lancia Stratos and Vauxhall Chevette.

As well as cars, the event also brings back classic rally drivers, including Andy Dawson, the only driver to have won a UK International Rally in a Stratos.

Following the event at Hengrove Park on Friday, there will be rallies at the Mendips, RAF Merryfield and near Wincanton on Saturday, plus events in Bath.

The demonstration at Hengrove Park runs from 6pm to 8pm on Friday, October 27 and is free to attend.