The 1926 Bentley started up on the first try when it was removed from its crate. CBC

A 1926 Bentley roadster arrived in Halifax Monday to begin a cross-Canada driving adventure.

Owner Robin Hine was relieved to see it land safely.

"Fabulous," he shouted as the crate was opened. "There she is!"

Hine shipped the vintage car to Canada from his original home in England.

"I had the car in the U.K., and so I thought great, now is the time to do it," Hine said. "I got the car shipped to Halifax and then we'll drive across. It's a big challenge and we'll see what comes of it."

After the car was unpacked, Hine added some water to the radiator and some gas for the carburetors in the four-cylinder engine.

Hine then sat in the driver's seat and started it up. "Let's turn it on and see if she runs ... vroom vroom ... look at that, first time. Excellent, well done."

Second Canadian trip for Bentley

It's not the first time the 85-year-old car has been in Canada. In 1964, Hine's father drove the car from Vancouver to Winnipeg for a wedding.

Hine will be accompanied on his trip by a fellow ex-pat, Neil Stephenson.

"I've been on trips — Bentley trips to France a couple of times — but nothing like this. This is quite an adventure," he said.

Stephenson and Hine will drive on the Trans Canada Highway for most of their trip. Hine said he has raced the Bentley a number of times and keeping up with other cars on the road shouldn't be a problem.

"A maximum speed on a track is about 95 miles an hour, so a happy cruising speed on the highway is about 65 to 70 miles per hour. Yeah, we'll keep that up all day," Hine said.

Hine and Stephenson plan to catch the ferry to Newfoundland Monday night and will continue their cross-Canada tour on Wednesday.