World Class Tour
by JoAnne Willis
Perhaps the most spectacular event for Route 66 in 1993 was the CAAR Rally Club of Ancient or Club of Antique Automobiles and Rallies depending on the translation. September through October, 273 participants from Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland shipped their own classic European and American cars to Baltimore.
They jeeped around in Virginia, went to our nation's capitol, but principally were here to get their kicks on Route 66.
It was overwhelming to see most of the cars professionally stenciled with such verbage as "Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles", "The Mother Road", "CAAR Rally-1993 Route 66". Also, many had the Route 66 emblem on the cars. besides familiar classics such as a 60's Corvette and cadillac, there was a 50's Skoda, a 1924 Vauxhall, 1928 Tatra, 1934 Alvis, a Citroen, a Goggo (which get 70 miles to the gallon), and other wonderful vehicles. Most displayed their country's flag and a U.S. one too. There was a bus and a DAF truck stocked with car parts, still one or two cars just couldn't make it by the time they got to the Mojave. There were five accidents. We best know of a Polish man whose 1928 BMW was totaled near Springfield, Illinois. The man had a stitched leg, but luckily was no worse off.
Their last stop of the rally was the Santa Monica Pier on October 12. Some members of the Model-T Club of Southern California were there to usher them in. The display of cars was beautiful. They had obviously found time to polish them after such an arduous trip. The Pier Restoration Corporation and Bernard Management Services, developer of the future Club 66, provided a platform and sound system for the reception. City of Santa Monica officials and Mitchell Cohen, representing Bernard, congratulated the CAAR Rally as did CHR66A President, Geoffrey Willis. Willis let them know that their epic event would be chronicled to the National Park Service to approach Congress so that they would appreciate the truly international appeal of Route 66.
Willis also presented a plaque to CAAR's 66 tour organizer, Will de Hek of Holland and individual paper certificates of the plaque were given to all participants. The plaque and certificates were produced by former president of CHR66A, Dan Harlow.
I took a lot of pictures on the pier and was frustrated not to get to talk to more of the participants. Of course, I quickly found Adrian Polaczek with his bandaged leg. He's the man who lost his BMW. A couple from Holland and their son told me about their Skoda. They pointed out the funny attachment of modest fins that the manufacturer had added to the Skoda design to mimic the American 50s fins. I asked a bubbly British lady for an anecdote. She said the rally got off to a hilarious start in Chicago. Like many who get confused with the one way streets and the lack of signs, eager caravaners found themselves facing each other at all four stops of an intersection-"now what?"
There was even a Russian ballerina on the rally. The Los Angeles Times reported that Olga Vikrova and British mechanic Geoff Purkiss were married the day before the tour began and spent their honeymoon on the rally. The car carried both a "Just Married" sign and a "For Sale" sign. The couple hoped to sell the 1966 Austin to save the shipping charge home.
On the rally's last night at Old World Village, Huntington Beach, I presented a collage of artwork and greetings from Orange County children. I then circulated a poster for comments from the Europeans. Here's a couple I understand.
"We loved to do the trip 66. It was fantastisch, really!"
"We want you to keep Route 66 alive!"