Biggest ever Rust Bucket Rally raises £80,000 for charity
Organisers of the charity drive over 2,500 miles came home to a 'hero's welcome'
Last updated 10th Jun 2025
The 11th Rust Bucket Rally in aid of a local charity has finished up in Wellingborough after a 2500 mile trek through the Swiss Alps and back.
This years event was the biggest yet involving 71 cars and 160 participants in decorated cars.
They left on the 6th June to head to Davos and through the Swiss Alps and returning on the 9th with 2 overnight stops in Switzerland and 1 in Koln Germany.
The idea is that most cars are worth around £1000 pounds according to founder Carlos Baldry:
"It's meant to be a banger rally and it will always be a banger rally... another unwritten rule is is you buy a convertible car like I've got you do the whole journey with the roof down."
Carlos said they had all four seasons so many wet feet and sunburnt necks for him and his co driver.
The very hilly route through the Swiss Alps this year proved a bit too much for some 'bangers' according to Carlos:
"I knew the route we did this year where we spent a day and a half in the Swiss Alps going up and down mountain paths, certainly six cars are still making their way back, some of them on the recovery truck."
One of the passes had 48 hairpin turns to get to the top of.
The event raised £80,000 pounds this year for Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton. In it's history since 2014 the rally has raised over £500,000 for good causes.
Carlos say's that's all down to the dedication of those taking part:
"Every team member goes off and does their fundraising, I organise the event, but these guys go do the fundraising and they've done an amazing job... it's incredible."
The next one will be planned shortly with more details on the Rust Bucket Rally on Facebook.