Smoke and steam filled the air as more than 800 vehicles participated in the Mid Canterbury Machinery Club Wheat and Wheels Rally in Lauriston.

The April 6 and 7 event was held for the first time in six years, with profits going to the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust.

Event spokesperson John Hall said the club was happy with the turnout and the number of vehicle entries.

“We had everything there: traction engines, army tanks, motorbikes, classic cars, and the latest trucks.”

The rally showcased the evolution of machinery over the last century, with vehicle entries from across the country.

A military section included a 1951 Walker Bulldog Tank, a 1973 Scorpion Tank, and a World War Two Jeep.

Fire trucks were a popular addition to the extensive truck section, with a 1953 Dennis fire engine, a 1989 Dennis fire engine, and a 1978 Bedford fire truck.

Classic cars varied from a 1907 Cadillac to a 2003 Holden Commodore.

Farmall tractors were a feature, with more than 70 on display as the event celebrated 100 years of Farmall production. Other tractor entries included vintage and modern John Deere, Case, Massey Ferguson, Nuffield and Leyland.

May Brothers Contracting displayed their impressive John Deere X9 Combine Harvester, which has a 45-foot header front, one of the biggest in the world.

A raffle for a 1956 Ferguson FE35 tractor, bought and restored by the club in its traditional grey and gold colours, was drawn on the Sunday with Andrew Quigley of Quigley’s Contracting the lucky winner.

The event, which was on Anthony Hampton’s property, featured various displays and parades in a main ring on both days.

“What really made it was the action; we had things going on all the time,” Hampton says.

“With the layout, people could be at a trade site or food stall and see what was happening in the ring at the same time.”

Campbell Contracting performed a demonstration with their Volvo logging truck, and other displays included chaff cutting, wooden mill and tin mill threshing, and vehicle parades by make and size.

Hampton, an avid collector of vintage tractors, says the event was well worth the effort.

“I’ve had a lot of pleasure from other rallies, and this is my way of giving something back.”

By Claire Inkson