Dapper Drives and Classic Rides: Why We're Backing the Distinguished Gentleman's Drive

Some drives are measured in kilometres. Others stay with you for years.

On Sunday 27 September 2026, classic cars will leave garages and gathering points around the world for the Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive. Across Australia, drivers in Sydney, Adelaide, Albury Wodonga and the Gold Coast will take to the road in vehicles built at least 40 years ago, dressed in the spirit of another era and driving for a cause that matters.

This year, Australian Car Collector (HB Media) is proud to be a sponsor.

For us, it feels like a natural fit. Through Weekend Drives and Australian Car Collector, we spend our time documenting the people, places, machines and memories that give Australian motoring its character. We don’t just film cars; we preserve the stories that gather around them.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive brings those same elements together: heritage, craftsmanship, community, style and purpose.

A continuation of the story

Last year, we shared our first look at the event under the title Dapper Drives & Classic Rides. It was a story about more than polished chrome and elegant tailoring. It was about the peculiar magic of seeing classic vehicles gathered together, then watching them disappear down the road as a moving chapter in motoring history.

This year, we’re continuing that thread.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive is not a static car show. It is an on-road motoring event, created for people who want to get behind the wheel and experience their cars as they were intended: moving through the landscape, responding to the road and becoming part of the day.

There is something important in that distinction.

We don’t just admire these cars; we allow them to breathe. We don’t just preserve their appearance; we carry their character forward.

Classic cars, properly taken out

The Drive is open to classic vehicles built at least 40 years ago. For the 2026 event, eligible cars must have been manufactured before 31 December 1986, with limited provisions for certain period-correct replicas and run-on models.

That gives the day a wonderful breadth. British roadsters, European grand tourers, American cruisers and Australian classics can all share the same road, each carrying its own proportions, sounds and history.

Some will arrive immaculately restored. Others will wear the honest patina of a life well lived. A few may have spent decades in the same family, while others have recently found a new custodian. That variety is part of the pleasure.

Every car has a different rhythm.

The gentle burble of an older engine. The click of a manual gearshift. The weight of a steering wheel that asks you to participate. The scent of leather, oil, timber and warm metal. These are not inconveniences to be edited out. They are the texture of the experience.

A good weekend drive gives you time to notice those things.

Dress properly for the occasion

The cars are only half of the picture.

Participants and passengers are encouraged to dress in dapper, period-appropriate attire that complements the elegant design of their vehicles. Think tailored jackets, waistcoats, silk ties, polished shoes, cufflinks, cravats and the occasional hat that has clearly been waiting for an appropriate outing.

There is a little ceremony in it, and ceremony is not a bad thing.

We live in a time of convenience and casualness. Most days, nobody expects you to dress for the car you are driving. The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive offers a welcome excuse to slow down, choose something with care and make an ordinary Sunday feel like an occasion.

It is not about pretending to be someone else. It is about giving the day its own character.

A well-kept classic car deserves a little effort from the people around it. The right clothes, the right route and the right company can turn a drive into a memory before the engine has even started.

Driving for men’s health

Behind the elegance is a serious purpose.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive raises funds for Movember, supporting prostate cancer research and men’s mental health programs. It gives people a way to gather around a shared interest while helping create awareness and support for issues that affect men, their families and their communities.

That connection matters to us.

Classic motoring is often described through its visible details: the coachwork, the instruments, the chrome, the engineering and the craftsmanship. But the culture is ultimately built by people. It is built by friendships, family histories, club communities, mentors, restorers and the quiet conversations that take place beside an open bonnet.

The Drive uses that community to open another conversation.

We don’t just celebrate the machines; we make space for the people behind them. We don’t just look back at heritage; we use it to support a healthier future.

Australia on the same road

Although the Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive is a global event, Australia has a particular connection to the movement behind it. The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride was founded here in 2012, and the Drive now carries that same spirit as its four-wheeled companion event. On Sunday, Australian drivers will join participants around the world in a shared celebration of classic style and men’s health.

From Sydney to Adelaide, Albury Wodonga to the Gold Coast, each local Drive will have its own atmosphere and landscape. One may move through city streets and leafy suburbs. Another may wind through regional roads, open country and small townships. The route will be different, but the intention will be the same: bring a classic car out, dress with a little flair and drive with purpose.

The exact entry and route details are released to registered drivers only. That helps organisers manage the event safely and ensures that local Drives can run smoothly.

If you have an eligible car, or know someone who does, you can register through the official Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive website. Registration is also the way to access the relevant information for your local event.

You do not need to be a lifelong collector. You do not need to know every production detail of your car. You simply need an eligible vehicle, a willingness to take part and a reason to care about the cause.

Why HB Media is involved

Our sponsorship is an extension of the work we already do.

At HB Media, our automotive video production is shaped by an interest in the full story of a vehicle: where it came from, who owns it, what has been done to it and why it still matters. Our classic car documentary work is not only about specifications. It is about memory, obsession, craftsmanship and the people who keep history moving.

Through Weekend Drives, we take that same approach beyond the car itself. We look at the roads, destinations, accommodation, workshops, cafés and landscapes that give a journey its meaning.

This is the space where automotive storytelling meets lifestyle video production. It is also where our broader approach to video production in Australia finds its purpose: creating polished, cinematic work that feels authentic to the people and places being documented.

We don’t just arrive with cameras; we spend time paying attention.

We’ll be there on the day

We’ll be filming during this year’s Drive, capturing the movement, atmosphere and human details that make the event distinctive.

We’ll be looking for the small moments as much as the grand ones: the careful adjustment of a cufflink before departure, the final check beneath a bonnet, the sound of a car warming up, a passenger settling into a familiar seat and the easy conversation that begins when like-minded people meet.

There will be beautiful cars, of course. But the day will belong to the people who bring them out.

Once the Drive is complete, we’ll be able to return to this story with photographs and footage from the road. For now, this is an invitation to join us at the beginning of the chapter.

Take the long way

If you are registered, we hope you enjoy the day slowly.

Leave enough time for the coffee before departure. Take pleasure in the clothes you have chosen. Listen to the engine. Notice the landscape beyond the windscreen. Pull over when the view asks you to. Speak to the person beside you. Let the road do some of the talking.

And if you are still considering taking part, visit gentlemansdrive.com to register and find out more.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive is a celebration of classic cars, but it is also a reminder that the best journeys are shared. This Sunday, people across Australia will dress properly, start their engines and drive for men’s health.

We’re pleased to be backing it.

We’ll see you on the road.