Celebrating city’s great motoring heritage
It’s been 120 years since the first British car was built by Daimler and we have a lot of motoring heritage to celebrate. Clive Skelhon
COVENTRY’S biggest motoring event took place on Saturday when the city’s rich heritage was celebrated.
The third annual Coventry Car And Motorcycle Day in the city centre was part of Heritage Open Days.
This year’s event, organised by Coventry Transport Museum, was the biggest yet, with an amazing array of classic cars on show in Millennium Place and Broadgate.
It was dedicated to the memory of local car enthusiast and expert Maurice Smith, of well-known Coventry car dealership Smith & Sons Motors.
Maurice was a renowned supporter of the Transport Museum and the museum celebrated the introduction of the Coventry Car Day Shield in his honour.
The award was given to the Coventry car that visitors voted as their favourite on the day, and was presented by Maurice’s widow, Ann.
The cars on show drove out from Coombe Abbey at 9.15am, arriving in the city centre from 10am.
They included marques such as Jaguar, Hillman, Humber, Sunbeam, Armstrong-Siddeley, Riley and Daimler. Motorcycles on show included Triumph, Francis-Barnett, Rudge and Eagle.
The event also had classics from other manufacturers on display in Broadgate, including Ferraris and Porsches.
One of the highlights was a rare Talbot Sunbeam Lotus.
Clive Skelhon from Coventry Transport Museum said: “We had a fantastic response with vintage car enthusiasts eager to sign up for this, our biggest Coventry Car And Motorcycle Day yet.
“It’s been 120 years since the first British car was built by Daimler and we have a lot of motoring heritage to celebrate.”
Visitors were also welcomed into the museum for a special Heritage Open Days event, Bonnets Up, which offered a chance to see the inner workings of some of the museum’s star vehicles, with workshop technicians on hand to answer questions. Ron Terry, general manager at Coombe Abbey Hotel, said the venue was delighted to have been a part of it. He said: “We were thrilled to have been invited to be part of this event celebrating Coventry’s heritage within the car industry. “It was a special sight having all of those cars from across the decades coming to the hotel and driving off down the long driveway. “As Coombe Abbey is steeped in history, we know how important it is to recognise and celebrate the past and Heritage Open Days are the perfect way to do that.”