Old Brits roll on in

That look: The Bentley hood emblem leads the nose on most of the classically-styled touring cars.

White lady: A 1933 Bentley Parkwood Saloon, otherwise known as Beatrice.

Motherland: The British tradition of Bentley will be represented strongly on the tour.

Big one: A rare yet pristine 1931 Bentley 8L motor on display.

Two eyes: The unique front view of a 1934 Lagonda.

Formal occasion: The scene in Ashburtonian Bruce McIroy's grounds at his Bentley Service centre shortly after lunch was served.

Ruby red: A 1949 RollsRoyce Silver Wraith. The back interior of the car was lined with a wood finish.

Unusual finish: The core of this car, a 1924 Bentley 3L Red Label Speed model, was covered with upholstery.

New look: This grey 1955 Bentley S1 beauty sat in an Hororata shed for more than a decade before it was purchased and restored by its current owner.

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A different kind of distinguished British New Zealand tour has begun, and its starting point was Ashburton.

On Sunday, the rare sight of 26 Bentleys rolled into town and onto the immaculate grounds of Ashburtonian Bruce McIroy's Bentley Service centre.

There, the opening of the Bentley Drivers' Club New Zealand Tour took place, over a white-linen table-clothed barbecue lunch.

England's tour coordinator, Cedric Cook, said a total of 23 Bentleys were shipped from England for the journey, which took 48 days from Cornwall, England, to Lytellton Port.

"I've been all around the place and have found this to be a bloody lovely country.''

The Bentleys on tour were estimated to be worth between $53,000 and $1.6 million NZD, Mr Cook said.

New Zealand's tour coordinator, Frank Renwick, said it takes between 12 and 18 months to organise an international tour of this size.

"They see all of the country.''

The group left Ashburton bound for Franz Josef on Monday and will continue its travel until the trip concludes in Auckland on March 7.

Mr McIlroy will be the on-call mechanic for the duration of the tour and plans to meet up with the group when it reaches Hamner Springs.

On the last NZ tour, Mr McIlroy was called to help a broken Bentley in Takaka, Tasman region.

Professions of those on-tour include doctors, textile traders and diamond dealers.