Fuelled Up For Fun Mark's Great Kiwi Road Trip

The Colourful Broadcaster Was Given Creative Licence With a Classic Convertible

- Amy Prebble

The face behind New Zealand’s most famous moustache, Mark Sainsbury, is in automobile heaven. The Radiolive morning host has just spent three weeks cruising around the country in an iconic 1967 MGB Roadster, combining his work with his great love – classic cars.

He had to give the Roadster away to a listener at the end of his “Mo’ on the Road” promotion, but Mark’s own car is a 1963 Lincoln convertible, so he’s not too bereft. Plus, he’s delighted that competition winner Kerry Young will experience the joys of the car.

“The thing about MGs is that they’re timeless,” Mark explains. “You look at that shape and you say to someone, ‘When do you think that was made?’ People would have no idea. It’s a beautiful looking car. We wanted to give someone a car that would let them enjoy classic car motoring. It’s a great sort of car if you want to join clubs and stuff like that. It’s very social.”

Mark hopes he’ll see Kerry on the road. “I’m a great believer if you own a classic car, don’t have a trailer queen where you have it in a glass garage. They’re built to be used. The more you use them, the more reliable they are.”

The broadcaster drives his Lincoln to work whenever he’s in Wellington, where he lives with his wife, lawyer Ramona Rasch, and twins Hunter and Arabella (29), who have returned home after stints overseas. The beloved vehicle gets a break when he spends about half the week in Auckland for work.