The original ‘Bubsie’ with drivers Neville Westwood and Greg Davis as it set off on its epic journey 100 years ago.
Benalla’s classic car fans are in for a treat this November.
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It’s been 100 years since Bubsie, a 1923 Citroën 5CV, took a tour around Australia, travelling more than 17,000km in 148 days.
While the original Bubsie now resides in a museum in Canberra, a fully restored replica, also called Bubsie, is close to the end of repeating that tour.
As part of that, Bubsie will be visiting Benalla on Thursday, November 13, giving locals a chance to see, touch and inspect the century-old French classic.
It will then head to Winton Motor Raceway, to take a lap before visiting local schools and aged care homes.
Pastor Tharren Hutchinson, minister of religion and chaplain, Benalla-Wangaratta Churches, is co-ordinating the tour in north-east Victoria.
Bubsie pictured during a mammoth section of its tour taking it from south-east Western Australia to the Northern Territory.
He said the original trip was a significant historical event, as many of the roads back then were unsealed and poorly maintained.
“This helped highlight the need to have a national highway linking Australia’s capital cities and states,” he said.
“It was two young guys, in their 20s, who did it.”
They were Neville Westwood and Greg Davis.
“And their 5CV was just over five horsepower,” Pastor Hutchinson said.
“Navigating Australia in a little car like that would not have been easy back then.
“They would have had to have some mechanical skills.”
Pastor Hutchinson said when Bubsie was in Benalla the community was invited to come and have a look.
A replica of Bubsie, the 1923 Citroën 5CV, will visit Benalla in November.
And not just look, the community is encouraged to touch the car to get a feel for it, and even sit in it.
“It will be good to take her to the school and (aged care) homes,” Pastor Hutchinson said.
“For the older people, it will be a trip down memory lane.
“And for the kids, the interest is to see something so simple, that did such a wonderful thing.
“It gives them a good understanding of where we’ve come from and how quickly.
“It’s so different to modern cars, and 100 years ago is not that long.”
Pastor Hutchinson is in the process of confirming where in Benalla Bubsie will be on display.
Keep an eye out in the pages of the Ensign and at benallaensign.com.au for confirmation.
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