Wacky racers head for Valencia in the Ramshackle Rally

Connoisseurs of 1960s cartoons will probably react enthusiastically when Wacky Races is mentioned. This supremely silly story (and its equally popular offshoots, Dick Dastardly and Mutley in Their Flying Machines and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop) revolved around a race in which the contestants in an ongoing race pit their wits against each other – and cheat frequently!

Much of the humour emerged from the absurdity of the racers’ customised cars, so fans of Wacky Races will be amused to hear that there is a real life equivalent. The Ramshackle Rally is open to anyone with a spirit of adventure and an elderly vehicle. The rules are remarkably similar to those in the classic cartoon: all contestants are advised to choose a nickname, customise their car and adopt matching dress to conform to that theme. However there is one proviso; the vehicle must be a bona fide old banger, at least 15 years old and costing £150 or less.

The Ramshackle Rally offers an exciting holiday alternative to people with a sense of adventure and fun, since every race ends in an exciting destination. Other races terminated in Munich, where contestants enjoyed the Oktoberfest, Pamplona for the San Fermin celebrations, Croatia and Krakow.

The aim of the competitors in the latest rally was to experience the sights of Valencia, before heading to Buñol to enjoy all the noise and spectacle of La Tomatina. The field sported the usual range of eccentrics, including two adventurous contestants, Emilie Godby and Jessica Butlin from Oxford, who managed to find an elderly Clio for less than £150 and then set about decorating it with their chosen theme, multicoloured ball-pit balls. Fortunately for Emilie and Jessica their car’s vendor is a mechanic and he was able to give it a thorough check before the girls set off on what will be their second outing with the wacky racers. However it will be Godby’s first time as a driver; she only passed her driving test in January!

The Ramshackle Rally might be no more than a light-hearted excursion for some of the competitors, but entrants Butlin and Godby identified it as an excellent opportunity to make some money for their chosen charity, The Oxford Young Carers Project. Even before leaving the girls were on course to exceed their target of £500.

New post on at Wednesday, 25 August, 2010, 9:33 am and is archived in Classic cars, Lifestyle, People. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.