The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Glamis gears up for vintage vehicle event
Angus is ready to roll out the motoring red carpet for vintage vehicle enthusiasts back behind the wheel of their pride and joy after the pandemic.
And organisers of the Glamis Extravaganza say it has brought a bumper entry for their comeback.
The July 9/10 Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club spectacular in the grounds of Glamis Castle is the first in three years.
So enthusiasts have been quick to book an entry slot.
It means there will be a capacity field of just over 1,700 vehicles of every type – from bicycles to truck and traction engines.
And the age range is from the days of 1890 motoring right up to the best of modern machinery.
Club fingers are crossed for good weather and a crowd which could hit 15,000 over the weekend.
The club itself was founded in 1968 and this is the 46th Extravaganza.
SVVC administrator Lesley Munro is celebrating her own milestone this year.
“This is my 25th anniversary with the club,” she said.
It is her job to lead the organisation of the Extravaganza and deal with the thousands of inquires from across Britain and beyond. But even a quarter of a century of experience has been tested by the impact of Covid.
“Getting ready for the Extravaganza begins almost as soon as the last vehicle leaves the field every year,” said Lesley.
“Hopefully it’s become a well-oiled machine over all these years. And in the past couple of years we had to keep the plans in place in case the Covid restrictions allowed us to go ahead with the Extravaganza. But unfortunately we just couldn’t go ahead safely with such a big event.”
SVVC went online to stage a successful virtual show.
“So although the plans have been in place we’ve had to make sure that we’re remembering to tick off everything on the to-do list,” said Lesley.
The event experienced a bump in interest from car enthusiasts who have either finally had the time in lockdown to complete garage projects, or are new to the hobby.
“The amount of new exhibitors that have come in this year is incredible,” said Lesley.
“People are really keen to get out and about now and it’s great news for us because there will be so many new faces to meet.
“As soon as we confirmed in February that the Extravaganza would be going ahead things just went crazy. We even had to turn a few car clubs away this year because we ran out of space a few weeks before the closing date.”
Displays will include a celebration of 100 years of British manufacturer Austin.
And the weekend always features a busy programme of main ring entertainment, with the spectacular Stannage Stunt Team the headline attraction.