LEWIS & CLARK CLASSIC RALLY

Sometimes people ask me why no Austin-Healey Club of Oregon members do this event that I chair.  Actually, one does (Atif Zaman), but that still begs the question.  Why not 10, 20, 30 or more members?

The participants rave about it.  The roads, the food, the camaraderie, the chance to get out of town for a summer weekend and visit a great destination.  It’s just an ideal weekend for collector car enthusiasts, and in addition to the traditional – and very, very rare – true Time-Speed-Distance rally, there’s also a “tour group” where no calculating or clip boards or stop watches are required.

Spare me the facile pandemic excuses.  AHCO members didn’t enter the event before this year either.  It makes you begin to wonder what Healey owners want from the Healey ownership.  A warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that their Healey is all safe and sound sitting idle and unused in the garage?  Hey, here’s an idea!  Drive it sometime and meet other people who own other cars.

Yeah, the event costs something.  There’s the entry fee (and if you think it’s high at $295/person, you’ve never priced resort catering), there’s your lodging cost (one whole night at a resort hotel – will laying out $180 for a night in a resort force you into a bread line?) and some gas.  It’s not a $20 club day tour.  It’s also not $8,500 like you would pay for any of a number of big-name tours such as the Colorado Grand.

I’m just ruminating.  This year’s event just concluded.  It was wildly – wildly, I say! – successful and fun and everyone raved about it.  I’ve long since given up trying to talk it up among club members.  Some of them report owning and liking Healeys.  Can’t prove it by me.