Lotus Club Queensland
Dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of the Lotus experience
Login
Register
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Membership
    • Member Login
  • Events
    • Calendar
  • Motorsport
    • Lakeside DTC Timed Laps
    • LAKESIDE DTC RESULTS
  • Magazine
  • For Sale
    • Merchandise
    • Classifieds
  • Posts
  • Galleries
  • Directory
    • Suppliers & Parts
    • Advertisers
  • Archives
hack-classic-banner

EMR to Toowoomba for the David Hack Classic

Story and photos by Vyvyan Black.

On Sunday 8 May, Col McKay, in his very nice ’68 Elan, led a bunch of us on a merry tour around the back of Brisbane’s outer west and on to the Esk / Toowoomba stretch, where we parked all in a row at Toowoomba Airport as part of the David Hack Classic.

But first, we began this epic drive with the opening leg, a quick run up to the Mt Glorious Café for breakfast. I highly recommend the chilli and eggs.

This run is a common one, especially for the Seven and Caterham drivers, and it starts with arriving expectantly outside Maccas, The Gap, admiring the cars and eager to see who’s there and who might turn up.

No Cats or Sevens this time though, but we did enjoy the company of Barry & Jess Matthews (white Exige), Phil & Gail Hart (silver Elise), Tony Smith (white Evora), Giles and Janet Cooper (silver Europa S), Phil Brook (all the way from Sydney in a black Evora), George and Anita Row (white Nissan Silvia) and myself (navy & silver Plus 2).

So off we went for a sensible but spirited run up the curvy mountain road dutifully avoiding its ever persistent lycra warriors, all the while alert to the possible presence of speed camera demons. I’ve done this run a few times now and I’m starting to remember where the turns are that you should really take notice of, and for the first time I felt very comfortable with my new tyres gripping much better than previously. Ah, yes it’s all about the tyres – thanks Dick!

So, as I said, breakfast was nice and the coffee very welcome. A little bit of a chat and we were off down the other side of the mountain. What a lovely run that was! Sweeping high speed downhill slalom driving has got be one of my favourite things. Look up ahead and there’s Col – roof off – so comfortable in his little Elan at the head of the group.

This was followed by some lovely wooded sections and farm vistas with the hum of the (in my instance) twin cam singing out, accompanied by my loud in-cabin serenading to myself… well, nobody along with me to complain! Lush green grasses zipped by outside the passenger window while the beautiful blue sky and pristine air seemed to be there purely for our enjoyment.

Eventually we entered Toowoomba’s outskirts and had to cope with the sudden mundanity of traffic lights and Sunday plod-alongers. We slipped up a number of suburban roads… surely the airport isn’t near here I thought, but it was. Nestled among the suburban gardens and chainwire fences. We soon passed through the flag wavers and parked in a neat row right in the middle of everything. Here we met up with Tim Moore and Derek Deane (Europa S).

We were outside a massive hanger with a gold Cadillac convertible at its centre. There were paddocks hosting rows of old, really old and newish cars – the usual and the unusual: an extremely long wheelbase Batmobile, MGs, Lancias, a tired looking Renault Dauphine, a coterie of hot rods, Model T’s, tricked up E-Types and rare vintage motorcycles. There were Buicks and Toranas, an absolutely original only-driven-by-an-old-lady-on-Sundays ’62 Toyota Corolla in church white, an EH Wagon in that beautiful ‘60s moss green with whitewalls and a white roof. Big Healeys and American muscle.

There were even triple choc muffins at the have-to-go price of $1 each and burgers I just couldn’t see myself tackling. Never exactly gourmet at these dos!

A great day out and a most enjoyable drive. Thanks Col for organising it and thanks for all who turned out.

giles-elise
phil-hart-admires-the-exige
barrys-exige
phils-evora-1
cols-elan
jon-turns-up
outside-mtg-breakfast
breakfast-at-mtg
plus2-and-elan
phils-evora-2
the-line-up-with-paddock-behind
vyvs-plus2
tonys-evora
parked-at-the-classic
cadillac-1
cadillac-
suzuki
sunbeam
batmobile-2
e-types

[Show slideshow]
1 2 3 ►
Pa and Son do Targa Lotus 2017

Related Posts

kevs-banner

EMRs, Gallery 2022, Homepage

Kev’s Big Day Out

marburg-banner

EMRs, Gallery 2022, Homepage, News

Marburg Pub Run – 4 Sept 2022

nobby-banner

EMRs, Events, Gallery 2022, Homepage

The Literary Lunch Drive

Random images

IBT6_Lunch_at_Heritage_Winery Breakfast Banter cobar-2 7-Road-trip-to-Mt-Mee Jaguar-Red 7-Roger-Greg-and-Clive 2-Winding-mountain-road-1 MG_9120 MG_8867 IMGP1268 _MG_5012 as Smart Object-1 lw01ka2 IMG_4382 IMG_4431 image_244 image_165 Aug_F02_2399a IMG_7755 IMG_4205 Lunch-Time Photo-28-11-20-8-11-16-pm Drive-a-round-today Morning-light 20180916_072259 results Mt-Cotton-Hillclimb-Sep17-03 group-1 20161106_094150 Phil-Hart Goodwood_Carpark2 IMGP0208 Clive and Mitch Lunch time The-Criterion col-strolls-past-the-monaro-gts 20160522_101234 Ormiston-10 Greg Lotus-Xmas-gathering GIC15-NSW-retreating main-7 BTP5-The-blowout Jan-main-17 Jan-main-9 main-38 main-22 Inside-the-Outpost-Cafe-for-lunch IMG_7614 Christmas-at-the-New-Farm-Deli- Lotus-admirer main-6 P1010429 Sep_MS02_7 lec_0179 Morning_Tea_stop_Canungra img_1034 David_Chilton_Lakeside IMG_1300 IMG_3665 P1060260 IMG_5230 IMG_7420 101_101 081_81 073_73 Cane_field_Cats IMG_8073 119_1966_IMG 0211jg IMG_5154 IMG_5149 IMG_5070 IMG_4197 Seven Travelling Kit Lotus Crew Ron-Hickman-with-Lotus-Elan DSC_0229 Navigators_Preparing_at_the_Start 6-Driver-briefing Country-fare_gw IMG_6150 Lindsay-relaxing-between-runs Jan-2022-2 DSC_0354 stripping-the-engine-down Mike-and-Maggie Instructions 3 of 8 Clive & Morgan Park Sprint LCQ Champion, Garry_gw P1020917 On-route-to-Mt Mee-gw parked-at-the-classic IMG_0308 The Group main-24 Modified-Veedub-1 alex's-elise IMG_9112 Transport-Museum-Jag-1951 Men in black main-54

Recent Articles

  • Morgan Park Sprints R4
  • Kev’s Big Day Out
  • Duratec Elise – better late than never
  • Gold Rush Hill Sprint – 2022
  • Marburg Pub Run – 4 Sept 2022
  • Unique +2 Road Trip to Brisbane
  • Leyburn 2022
  • August 2022 DTC

Latest Gallery Images

20220220_093834 20220220_093818 20220220_093827 20220220_093743 20220220_093812 20220220_093730

Search articles by category

Archived articles

Lotus Club Queensland
© Lotus Club Queensland   |   Site by Black Eye Studios