Visitors flock to Faversham's historic vehicle weekend
By neiljenkin | Monday, May 30, 2011, 15:08
Faversham's annual historic vehicle show was the busiest yet as the sun shone and crowds flocked in to town last weekend (May 21 and 22).
-
1961 Bristol 407 at Faversham's classic car day
The usual Sunday show of classic cars and motorbikes was extended with a display of old-time buses on the Saturday and a prelude on the Friday night as rock'n'roll fans gathered at the Alexander Centre for a night of music and dancing organised by the Faversham Traders' Group.
Another big draw was Shepherd Neame' Spitfire steam train, the Oliver Cromwell, which brought passengers from London and took an excursion to Gillingham and Sheerness on Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday more than 20 vintage buses lined Court Street and Preston Street, some providing rides, as Burt Butler's Jazz Pilgrims entertained shoppers and visitors in the Market Place from their spot upstairs in an open-topped double-decker. South East Coachworks in Preston Street was also open to provide an insight into the highly skilled work involved in converting buses and bringing them into the 21st century.
On Sunday, it was the turn of the cars and bikes, with a display of 350 eye-catching vehicles spread through the town for the thousands of visitors to enjoy.
They ranged from the bare-bones horseless carriage of Ron Mellowship's 1896 Orient Express to the chic, sophisticated lines of 1960s favourites such as the E Type Jaguar and the Bristol 407. There were plenty of American gas-guzzlers, all chrome and fancy colours, and plenty of familiar British saloons to stir memories of happy motoring in times gone by.
The weekend was sponsored by Faversham Town Council and Shepherd Neame with support from Sainsbury's Faversham and Faversham Area Tourism Association.
2011 trophy winners:
• Best in show: silver Bristol 407, owned by Peter Darby
• Oldest vehicle: 1896 Orient Express, owned by Ron Mellowship
• Best American vehicle: 1951 Pontiac Chieftain Catalina Deluxe, owned by Peter Jones
• Furthest travelled: Ford Anglia 105 from Northumberland, owned by Keith Tait
• Best motorcycle: Douglas
• Best Faversham vehicle: MG Magnette owned by Bryan Alexander
Comments
The addition of the Saturday show with the old buses was definitely a success, and the town was packed on the Sunday despite uncertain weather. Take a look at the Faversham People site – http://tinyurl.com/6xvr6v9 – for some excellent photo galleries of the historic vehicles!
By neiljenkin at 19:55 on 08/06/11
ReportBy all accounts it was a very good week end for the town, and I hope we can do it agian next year.
By chrisbichard at 17:00 on 08/06/11
Report