Yangtze Delta Rally - Day 1: Shanghai to Wuxi

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Yangtze Delta Rally 2019

When we received an invitation for a rally that would start in Shanghai, China we were more than average interested. A few years ago, we already participated in the 4C rally of the same (Chinese) organization and we finally decided to join this year again. So about a month ago, we (Laurens Klein and Jos van Genugten) put our 1928 Alvis FWD in the container and last week it arrived in Shanghai for the Yangtze Delta River Rally.

The upcoming days, we will be reporting from the event and will share photographs with you. We are very curious about how China has changed if Chinese people appreciate our beloved old stuff and also how the Chinese see the market for classic cars.

We will be driving through a country where history is very important but where there is barely any car history known. The upcoming days we will keep you updated about our adventure.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. We will investigate it for you.

Day 1: Shanghai to Wuxi

Distance: 210 km

The first day of driving. What a day it was! Finally, we were able to drive our classic cars in a country without any real car history. That means a lot of strange, but most of the time, smiling faces. Hundreds of photos made and a big crowd around the car when we stop somewhere.

We have been in Shanghai for 3 days now, which we filled mostly with formalities and waiting. Although we all were a bit tired of all the hustle, I was impressed that the organization was able to get 100 temporary Chinese driving licenses and to register 50 cars (including technical check) within 2 days.

So the car was registered, we were allowed to drive and it was time for some fun. We left early from the parking and had to drive in convoy to the museum of art, where a ceremony was held including soldiers saluting for us, ‘red carpet’ and fireworks. The first part of the route was to get out of Shanghai, which was rather quiet compared to the last time we were driving a rally in China.

During the day, we were stopped by the police in a small town. We didn’t have the rally plates on the front of the car but luckily enough we had Chinese rally stickers on the sides. Another issue was our driving license, which we had successfully obtained but that was still with the organisation. This should be easy to explain when both parties speak the same language, but unfortunately that wasn't  the case. So as there was a language barrier, we tried another way with a smile, some PreWarCar / PostWarClassic stickers and Belgian chocolate. Strangely enough, more angry faces... Luckily a passer-by was able to help us and we were off again.

The car performed brilliantly and we were in time at the hotel. In the evening there were another 60 kms to drive where we had to park the cars in a safe parking. The distance was a point of irritation for many but well, this is a different country with completely different habits. In the evening, the plans can be completely different than in the morning and you just have to go with the flow.The dinner was nice and a bus took us back to the hotel for a last drink in the bar.

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