MC Ranch Overland participated in the The Hagerty Spring Thaw Rally driving adventure through British Columbia for classic touring and sports cars this May. Instead of an overlanding truck, I gunned my 1969 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce on the adventure. Critically, my Vintage Italian sports car came equipped with the The Original Fire Reflector, 2 camping chairs, wood and our prototype “Glamping pic-nic backpack”. Other essentials included artisanal French bread, various nibbles, a charcuterie selection, Prosecco and other beverages to ensure a civilized adventure was had!
The Rally is an un-scored, non-competitive event that takes place entirely within the province of British Columbia, Canada, and consists of approximately 1200km of driving over three days.
This year The Hagerty Spring Thaw started on Friday, May 5th, 2023 in Harrison Hot Springs, crossing through Penticton, Kamloops, the Okanagan, wine country and into Pemberton north of Whistler, through mountains and hills…finishing on Sunday, May 7th. The sense of The Rally being an “adventure”, was maintained as the route remained secret until competitors receive their entry packages at registration on the actual start day!
The way-finding instructions were detailed and clear, and did not require any calculations or rally knowledge! Moreover, the event consists of 100% paved roads, with some mountainous terrain, and all driving was scheduled during daylight hours – which was lucky as there was a lot of heavy rain to contend with!!
Luckily my Alfa had benefited from an engine and suspension rebuild so it was ready for a long weekend of driving through back-country and winding roads culminating in a sunshine and some ‘glamping’ fire reflector magic on the very last day…
Enjoy the pics and we’ll keep you posted on further product enjoyment and development!
Author Rolf Skala, Head of Brand &Marketing at MC Ranch Overland, an outdoors lover, rower, and an dedicated enthusiast of charismatic and sometimes temperamental Italian automobiles!
