MEMBERS of Bishopsteignton Probus Club heard about Anthony Showell’s lifetime hobby of rally driving.

The talk included his win at the London to Sydney Car Marathon in 1993.

Mr Showell’s showed videos and slides, the first showing him as a child with his father in one of the family’s vintage cars beside another car with his grandfather and sister.

As an adult, Anthony took part in 15 London to Brighton veteran car runs, motor rallies and two London to Sydney marathons.

In the 1977 marathon, he drove a Volkswagen Beetle, taking many spare parts including tyres, gearbox and a complete replacement engine on the back seat.

At one stage, he had to swap the engines at the roadside.

In the 1993 London to Sydney Marathon which he and co-driver Francis Tuthill won, he took a Porsche 911 with a 2700 cc engine and a fuel tank with a 50 gallon capacity.

It was stripped down of all but the necessities and was so noisy that he and the co-driver used headphones and microphones to talk to each other.

Anthony said these events are won on special stages where all other vehicles are kept off the road and as he described 100 km special stages in Australia.