Someone who has a veteran Sunbeam is a car enthusiast.
But someone who has three may possibly have a "slight obsession".
Colin and Joan Pearce bought their first — a 1911 Sunbeam — after seeing it sitting in a paddock on a dairy farm just north of Dunedin in the early 1970s.
"The motor on it was being used to drive a saw bench," Mrs Pearce said.
"It was covered in sawdust."
The couple bought the British-built car and spent hours tidying it up and making it roadworthy again.
Not to be outdone, Mr Pearce’s late brother bought a 1913/14 Sunbeam a few years later, and the brothers worked on restoring it together in their spare time.
After the restoration was completed, his brother later sold it, but more recently Mr Pearce managed to buy it back.
"They realised that they probably had enough spare parts — including a spare chassis — to build a 1912 Sunbeam. They built it from scratch.
"One makes us an enthusiast, but having three means we might have a slight obsession."
She said the 1911 and 1912 would be driven in this Saturday’s Dunedin to Brighton Veteran Car Rally by family members, and Mr Pearce hoped to drive the 1913/14.
The 1913/14 was not running properly at the moment and Mr Pearce was frantically trying to get it working for the rally.
"Whether the car goes or not, he’ll still go to the rally. He’ll be disgusted if he doesn’t."
Mrs Pearce said the family was looking forward to going because the age of the cars meant they were not used often.
The cars will be among about 40 vehicles participating in this year’s rally.
Event organiser Colin Winter said the vehicles would arrive in the Octagon about 10am on Saturday, and be waved off to Brighton about 10.30am.
