Drivers from Victoria, Queensland, New Zealand and the US were participating in the annual national rally for the British marque, dubbed the Jubilee Tour to honour the 55th anniversary of the introduction of the Sunbeam Alpine and the 50th anniversary of the Tiger.

Gary Hancock's Sunbeam Alpine was just 10 years old, with 35,000 miles (60,000 kilometres) on the clock when he bought it.

``I bought it off the original owner in 1976 and it still only has 54,000 miles (86,400 km) on the clock, 38 years later,'' Mr Hancock, who was in Tasmania with wife Jan, said.

``It's just been totally rebuilt from the bare metal up and the Tasmanian trip is its first run - the car was re-registered two weeks ago.

``It was time for a re-build because the paint was getting tired and the best way to approach it is to strip it right down and do it properly.

``The colour on top of the car is the same as underneath - I did a lot of the work myself, but got a lot of assistance too.

``It's running like a dream.''

Mr Hancock said that there was a sombre note to what was working out to be a great trip.

``The idea of a Tasmanian tour was suggested by former social secretary the late Pam Clark two years ago, so we decided to stage the run in her honour,'' he said.

``Driving to Scottsdale through The Sidling was great fun and really tested the cars.''

The cars arrived in Devonport on Friday morning and after a couple of days at Grindelwald travelled to Hobart and the Huon Valley via the West Coast.

They return to the mainland on Saturday.