Warrnambool has been chosen as the location for the 100 years of Austin Sevens' celebrations next month, and South West Healthcare will receive the event proceeds.

The money will be put towards a new $43,800 rapid infuser for the Warrnambool Base Hospital operating theatres.

The equipment helps save the lives of trauma patients who have just minutes to live, SWH operating theatre associate nurse unit manager Chris Toone said.

"To be able to deliver optimum services to this region, we've got to have something like this, otherwise we're talking about sending these people off to larger hospitals," he said. "It's an integral part of what we do.

"This equipment's extremely expensive, it's not something that we can just pluck money out of, you know, a black hole for and these type of events gives us the opportunity to purchase equipment that we otherwise would have to wait a long time to be able to attain."

It works by rapidly delivering high volumes of warmed blood and fluids to replace blood lost from trauma.

In south-west Victoria, this life-saving intervention is most commonly used for the likes of road and farm accidents and childbirth emergencies.

In the last month it was used up to five times at the Warrnambool Base Hospital.

The last rapid infuser was purchased over 10 years ago.

"These type of things get outdated really, really quickly," Mr Toone said. "Ours is getting a little slow and it's not working as efficiently as it was and obviously, we don't want to put the community at risk of potentially not having an absolute lifesaving piece of equipment."

Two vintage Austin Seven cars were on display outside the hospital to promote the event on Monday.

Owner Robert Baudinette is on the organising committee for the April 12 event to be held at the Fletcher Jones Gardens.

Kicking off at midday, the show and shine event will let the community get up close and personal with a piece of history.

"This is a national rally, with people coming from everywhere in Australia," Mr Baudinette said. "There will be a vast array of cars that literally were made right throughout the world, including BMW and Holden, but particularly Austin Sevens, going back 100 years.

"We had to fight to get it here in Warrnambool, we did a great job to get it here and clearly Warrnambool has everything going for a rally like this."

A gold coin entry donation will be collected to raise money for the Warrnambool Base Hospital

The six day rally will kick off April 9 and travel through Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Port Campbell and Camperdown. More information: austin7club.org

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