Thousands of petrol heads and classic car enthusiasts converged on Glamis Castle at the weekend to soak up over 100 years of motoring history.
The Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club (SVVC) rally received a record number of entries for the Saturday and Sunday Scottish Transport Extravaganza which attracted a five-figure crowd.
Stephen Dear from SVVC said: “I believe that the rally continues to grow each year because of the fantastic setting and the hard work that we put into trying to make it an enjoyable weekend for all that attend.
“It would be easy to stop the event due to all the rules and regulations that are in place nowadays but we believe that these are not a hindrance and we use them to make it a great day out for all.
“Years ago someone made the comment about the magic of Glamis and this has stuck with us to the extent that nearly everyone refers to the rally as Glamis rather than the Extravaganza.”
The vehicles on display covered all forms of motoring from an 1881 Penny Farthing to a 520bhp Noble Works which was previously owned by James May of Top Gear fame.
A Series 1 Land Rover which once belonged to Castle Motors in Forfar – once the town’s biggest – was also on display after being purchased and preserved by the club.
Mr Dear said: “The Land Rover is a recent purchase for the club by another club member who lives in the Glasgow area and due to the local connection we felt it would be a shame if it left the area and lost the Castle Motors livery.
“The club very much believes in preserving local motoring heritage.
“During the negotiation stages we discovered that the original registered owner of the vehicle was our club founder Bill Duff.
“This then kind of made it an important vehicle to the club not to mention keeping it local.
“The Land Rover is basically being preserved in the condition it is in but we are obviously making it road worthy and safe to use.”
Approximately 1,500 entries were received and this year there were 51 different car clubs covering all makes and interests displaying their vehicles.
Around 150 mixed traders were on site and the ring entertainment this year was the Joseph Peace Fire Stunt Spectacular – described as “a fusion of modern circus and pantomime fun”.
This year’s sponsor Park Brew in Brechin gave out a special bottle of 43rd Extravaganza Ale to the prize winners in the showground.
The Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club was founded in 1968 and became a company limited by guarantee in 1988 and in 2012 became a registered charity.
The SVVC is recognised as one of the foremost organisations dedicated to the preservation and restoration of historic vehicles and to establishing the history behind them.
