McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic 2023 wheels in great cars and divine crushes

The Stanley steamer Model Z Mountain Wagon, built in 1909, was the lead car in the McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic on Sunday, April 23, 2023.

The family-friendly event drew thousands of people to watch about 480 vehicles drive through the wine region's main street, before they dispersed onto the grounds of a dozen wineries, cellar doors and vineyards for an afternoon of show and shines, plus good wines and entertainment.

Robert Balfour's Stanley steamer, chassis number 4745, is only one of 33 of its type, has a 20hp motor, 30hp boiler, and is powered with kerosene - albeit that's substituted with a petrol and diesel mix today.

It came from a lineage of low-production cars powered by steam in the early 1900s by American twins Freelan Oscar Stanley and Francis Edgar Stanley. In their time, steam powered cars were simple and reliable - their engines had about a dozen parts and there was no clutch, transmission or hand-cranking - far simpler than early petrol engines plus faster and with a longer range than electric vehicles.

The Mountain Wagons were developed to carry summer visitors 34 miles, uphill, from a railway station in Loveland, Colorado into Estes Park in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, where the Stanley Hotel still stands.

Mr Balfour's car was rebuilt in the 1970s by Carl Amsley and Daryl Kendall, and was later purchased by Robert Holmes à Court - Australia's first billionaire whose empire included interests in transportation, media and building supplies - and shipped to Western Australia in the 1980s. Dying of a heart attack in 1990, his car was sold as part of his estate to a new owner in New South Wales, where it stood still for some time.

Mr Balfour bought the car in 2014 and restored it.

"These steam cars are extremely fast; it's a myth they're slow. If you really steam this car up you could probably get up to 100km/h," he said.

Committee chairman Trevor Sharp explained what makes having a car ideal, particularly when exploring a wine region like McLaren Vale.

"If you've got one of these cars, you can pose around as you are going around to all the wineries; the wineries are close together so it's easy to get around," he said with a smile.

With perfect weather, the roof was down on many cars, including that on a Fiat 500 from 1969, owned by Luciano and Rosaria Di Girolamo.

"We bought it through friends a few years ago; we liked it and we bought it and have been having fun ever since, driving around and enjoying it," Mrs Di Girolamo said.

"If it's a hot day, it's very hot and very windy, which is a bit bothering, but nonetheless it's fun, a lot of fun."

Wayne Timmins drove a 1973 Holden Torana LJ that his father had bought brand new and is still in the family.

"It's had a little bit of work done on it. But basically what you see is what it was like when he bought it," he said.

"He had many happy times in it and the kids had many happy times in it and the grandkids have had many happy times in it."

Retired promoter Mike Drewer, who was instrumental in getting Formula One to Adelaide in the 1980s, was a guest speaker at a charity dinner at Serafino Wines the night before. He'd been in Europe and saw Formula One over there.

"There was the bid to get Formula 1 to Australia. I'd frankly never thought it'd come to Adelaide, but it did. And it was one of the greatest experiences to have that first race in 1985 (and we had) 11 great years," he said.

"It put Adelaide, South Australia on the map and is one of the true events that has made Adelaide a great location for just about everything. Look what's happened since; we've got marvellous festivals, we've got events coming of all sorts. Even if you're not a car enthusiast, I think something like a Formula 1 event is just a great occasion and Adelaide hosted it so well."

This wasn't Mr Drewer's first experience at the Vintage and Classic; he's been a part of it himself with cars including an old Volkswagen and an Elfin Clubman.

"I think it's one of our best events because it combines so many things that SA is so good at; obviously the wine region, (it's a) great concept that the cars go to different wineries after the parade, and there's such an eclectic group of cars; there's something for everybody, whether it be the more modern Ferraris, Lamborghini, very old Jaguars; It gets better every year."