China Rally to Nowhere

The participants arrive at the hotel in Hong Kong and express their displeasure. The organizer breaks down in tears and runs off. Now what?

by John Deaneas

If you’ve owned collector cars for long, you’ll agree that one of the biggest challenges is finding opportunities to use them. You can drive your Porsche Speedster to the office once in a while on a nice day, and you can take a Sunday drive when you can talk your wife out of gardening. But full enjoyment requires a substantial drive to an appealing destination. That’s why vintage car rallies have become hugely successful.

So it was no surprise that when this particular one came along, SCM sat up and took notice. It had all the right trappings. A two-week, 2,500-mile adventure along the east coast of China from Hong Kong to Beijing, retracing the route of the legendary Hong Kong–Beijing rallies of prior years. Five star hotels at every stop. Fifty classic cars filled with like-minded enthusiasts. Twenty motorcycles. Sumptuous meals. Interpreters to help as...