Alvis enthusiasts gathered in Wanaka yesterday, before the 24-car convoy makes its way to Dunedin today for the club's annual general meeting during the weekend.
Club president John St Julian, of Auckland, believed the expected total of 30 would be the "biggest gathering ever" of New Zealand-based Alvis vehicles.
Ranging from 1923 to 1966, the cars bought some humorous responses from the public as they made their way south.
Some passersby inquired if they had broken down each time they took a scenic stop, others gave the thumbs up, while a few made the obvious pun.
"When you say `Alvis', they say `I thought he was dead' and I say `that was funny about the first 50,000 times'," Auckland-based club member John McCorquindale said, smiling at the reference to Elvis Presley.
Manufactured in England from 1919 to 1967, Alvis cars, although lesser known, gained a reputation for being remarkably reliable, Mr St Julian said.
"They are different. Very well built and very well engineered."
The club has reached a record total of 115 members, which although small com-pared with Britain's numbers, was the result of New Zealand being the largest post-war export market for Alvis cars.
England's Alvis club president, Mike Jones, of Reading, who is travelling with the group, estimated that his country's 1000-plus club membership was the highest for a one-make club in England - perhaps due to the marque's perceived value.
"I think they are a quality car, but they have also been under-priced compared to Aston Martins, Bentleys and Ferraris," he said.
An affordable, high-calibre car in their era, nowadays a rough 1950s Alvis would sell for $10,000 to $20,000, a post-war model in good condition for about $60,000, and a rare pre-war model for $150,000 to $200,000, Mr St Julian said.
The best place to see the Alvis contingent in Dunedin is at the St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club, John Wilson Ocean Dr, tomorrow and Sunday from 9am to 9.30am.
