FATHER, SON TAKE '62 AUSTIN TO PEKING-TO-PARIS RALLY
Kelowna urologist Tom Kinahan and his 24-year-old son Daniel spent four years having their 1962 Austin A60 sedan built to compete in the 14,250-kilometre Peking-to-Paris Motor Challenge. They will be the only Canadian entry in the gruelling endurance rally first run in 1907.
For 36 days beginning May 18, 95 teams from 31 countries will meander through some of the world's most isolated territory, piloting vehicles built before 1977. Tom and Daniel will drive through eight time zones crossing China, Mongolia's Gobi Desert, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Italy and then France, ending in Paris. It is an opportunity for the semi-retired physician to share the ultimate motoring adventure with Daniel, who lives in Montreal, works in IT and is a savvy car mechanic. Tom is also hoping his participation in the rally will raise $1 million for the Canadian Men's Health Foundation, a national organization providing tools, resources and education to help men understand the importance of taking care of their mental health.
But why choose a 62-yearold Austin sedan to take on the world's longest and most challenging rally? It's a sentimental thing. Tom says these Austin Cambridge British imports were popular in Vancouver as second cars and were cheap and plentiful in the city's Kerrisdale district when he was a teen in the '70s.
“They tended to rust out on the west coast. But we were in high school and didn't care. The drive train would be fine, and the cars were cheap,” he explains.
“My brothers and I had five or six of them bought for $50 or $100.”
To compete in the rally, Tom purchased a 1962 Austin A60, which is essentially an Austin Cambridge, in Abbotsford. Wellknown British car restorer Alan Simpson did the mechanical prep for the rally at his shop in Spence's Bridge, swapping the original automatic transmission and engine for an MG 1800cc engine and four-speed transmission with overdrive. Skid plates were welded under the car, the original suspension was rebuilt, vacuum assist brakes added, twin fuel pumps were installed along with an 80-litre fuel cell as the original gas tank would be dangerous in a rollover. Bodywork and paint was done by Paul Thomson in Merritt using the best metal pieces from three parts cars to replace rusted out sections and rebuild the car from the ground up. After four years of hard work, the car was completely restored and rally ready.
With mild weather at the beginning of January, Tom Kinahan decided to take the car on a trial run on the Coquihalla Highway. Just one kilometre up the highway from Peachland, Tom got into snow, hit black ice and flipped the car.
“I got out of the four-point harness and had to climb out the passenger side window,” he says. “This confirmed the car would survive a rollover. But it was badly damaged with dents on the roof and fenders and a lot of the trim ripped off. The motor and transmission mounts were also damaged. I learned a big lesson.”
This was a disaster as the March 8 deadline for shipping the car out of Vancouver to China was just two months away. The car was towed directly to the Merritt body shop.
“Alan Simpson and Paul Thomson are heroes. They did a superb job of getting the car back to the way it was,” Tom says.
The car made it to Vancouver in time for a photo shoot with former Vancouver Canuck captain Trevor Linden, who is helping Tom raise $1 million for his charity: the Canadian Men's Health Foundation.
“It fits with what I do as a urologist,” he says. “Trevor Linden has been a terrific sponsor. We have a website, and we are well on our way to raising one million dollars for men's mental health.”
For Tom, this adventure is about spending time with his son as there are several father-son teams competing in the rally.
Father and son leave for Beijing May 13.
“It's quite an ordeal. The Chinese want us to have a visa and visitors driver's licences and we must document everything that is in the car,” he says. “We are the only Canadians taking part in the rally and we're never done anything like this before.”
For more information, contact Tom at dr.tkinahan@gmail.com Alyn Edwards is a classic car enthusiast and partner in a Vancouver-based public relations company. aedwards@peakco.com