25 years of Ford help for Kiwi kids in need

Ford's Zephyr is retiring from Bash duties this year. Photos / Supplied

Ford True Blue Team joins 25th Variety Trillian Bash

Ford New Zealand has provided the automotive backbone for the Variety Trillian Bash raising funds for Kiwi kids for 25 years.

"Ford was an integral part of getting the Bash going in New Zealand," says regular Basher and Ford Communications and Government Affairs manager, Tom Clancy, "it was, and is, a fantastic event to be a part of. We get to do what we love to do - drive - while helping Kiwi kids and communities throughout the country."

There'll be a change to that help this year, though, for the now iconic 1963 Ford Zephyr Bash car has finally retired. "Keeping the Zephyr going for the 11 years it ran was often a challenge, given the huge distances the Bash covers, often over remote and even unsealed roads."

The Ford team at Buckland School

He says, "At times we had to call on plenty of help from the Air Force crew, the AA and our dealerships. Who can forget the breakdown one weekend in Blenheim on the 20th Bash, the dealer spent his weekend on the phone and tracked down an original replacement part from a collector in town, and got us back on the road Sunday evening!"

The car made it to the ferry, where it met a new crew with a plan to deliver 20 grants to kids in need within 20 hours to celebrate 20 years supporting the Bash, "And the car didn't miss a beat, though the wipers did fly off over the Rimutakas in heavy rain - luckily it stayed dry for the rest of that year's route!"

This year the Ford crew will ride aboard a 2015 Falcon XR8. With the traditional sirens and lights? "We've got some big plans for the XR-8, and we'll be revealing it soon," Clancy says.

Why does Ford keep on supporting the Bash, and through it, Variety - The Children's Charity? "Knowing, and seeing, we are making a tangible difference in people's lives.

Ford and Pink Truck'n teams visit Tui

Whether it's helping at a school project, raising funds for much-needed medical equipment, or simply putting smiles on kids' faces during a school visit, the Bash is an event where you really get involved, you see first-hand the good you can do, and it's great fun while you're doing it."

Those regularly catching up with the Bash on facebook or along the road will mourn the Zephyr's departure, but will no doubt enjoy the Falcon's XR8 burble as it passes by.