Classic Adelaide

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Classic Adelaide is an international tarmac rally for classic sporting vehicles held in Adelaide, South Australia. It was first run in 1997.

Classic Adelaide brings the sight, sound and colour of a bygone era to the doorstep of more than a million people living within a 100km radius of Adelaide. A unique feature of the event, which has made it a favourite with the participants, is its 'hub' format.

Each day's course starts in the heart of the city and travels through some of South Australia's premier wine districts and tourism hot spots enjoying a warm welcome from spectators along the route. The rally returns each night to the Adelaide CBD allowing entrants to enjoy the best fine dining and hospitality made famous during the Adelaide Grand Prix era.

The Classic Adelaide is actually four events in one. The Competition section is an international standard 'special stage' rally spanning four days, preceded by a field-seeding Prologue, with the classic rally cars and drivers racing the clock on almost 35 special stages on closed roads, with timing to the second.

The Competition incorporates three separate contests including Historic, for vehicles up to 1947, Classic for vehicles built between 1948 and 1971 and Late Classic for vehicles built between 1972 and 1990.

The Regularity category requires significant skill by the crew to enable them to meet the average speed/s specified by the organisers for a given test, with timing being carried out to the second. The vehicles will be categorised into Classic (up to 1971), Late Classic (1972 to 1990) and Modern (from 1991). Special awards will be made to crews who consistently achieve meeting the test average speeds.

The Classic Tour provides enthusiasts, including those with special and restored sporting vehicles, the opportunity to experience the same closed road Classic Adelaide course at posted speed limits, travelling in small convoys led by experienced drivers.

The rally is conducted over a number of special stages utilising sealed public roads. The event will cover a total distance of approximately 1000 kilometres, including transport stages, over a duration of five days. The event includes 34 special stages, the total length being around 250 kilometres.

These special stages are conducted over roads temporarily closed to the public, although spectators are permitted in designated areas. Competing cars pass through the special stages at thirty second time intervals. When travelling from one special stage to another (referred to as being in a transport stage) competitors are required to observe all road traffic rules and behave at all times as would a normal road user.

There are several major activities embedded in the Rally, all of which enhance the popularity of the event. On the Sunday prior to the commencement of the Rally a display of classic vehicles, together with vehicles entered in the event, is staged in Victoria Square. This display is free to the public and provides an opportunity to view valuable historic vehicles, as well as interacting with Rally competitors,

After the completion of the second day of the Rally a street party (in reality a wine and food festival) will again be held in Gouger Street, adjacent to the colourful Central Market. This traditional Friday evening function adds value to the event by including the Adelaide community and the event and last year attracted approximately 30,000 people.

The participation of motorsport identities including Stefan Johansson, Murray Walker, Sir Jack Brabham and Stirling Moss in the Classic Adelaide Rally confirms the status of this international motoring event.

A further endorsement of the Rally have been decisions by Mercedes-Benz and Porsche companies in Germany to enter in all Classic Adelaide Rallies conducted to date, with rare and priceless vehicles chosen from their respective private corporate collections/museums.

In making their journey to the starting line of the Classic Adelaide Rally many of these vehicles have travelled out of Europe for the first and probably only time. The 2005 Classic Adelaide was an officially sanctioned event by Ferrari Maranello.

All entries in the Competition, the Thoroughbred Regularity and the Classic Tour are by 'invitation' to ensure consistency with Classic Adelaide's mission to remain one of the world's great rallies.