Paul Jolly: Classic car fans rejoice

Classic vehicle enthusiasts from across Torbay will be helping to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Historic Vehicle Gathering when it returns to Powderham Castle, near Kenton, over the weekend of 12 and 13 July.

This annual event is organised by the Crash Box and Classic Car Club, attracting over 1,500 vehicles, including local club displays from Teignbridge Classics, who have 50 cars booked in; Torbay Old Wheels Club; and the Torbay Area MG Owners Club.

The first Historic Vehicle Gathering was held on 6 July 1975 as an afternoon event in the castle’s courtyard. Despite promotion of the event being limited to local newspapers in Exeter, word travelled far, resulting in a display of nearly eighty veteran, vintage and classic cars.  

Having become a full two-day event in 1994, the Historic Vehicle Gathering has grown to include commercial vehicles, tractors, motorcycles, trade stands and local crafts. This year there will also be a special 80th anniversary VE Day display with wartime vehicles, banners and 1940s music performed by the resident trio of singers from the Humming Birds. 

For those with a love of steam, there will be over thirty full-size steamers and nearly forty miniature examples attending. This includes a 1933 7-Tonne Waggon which reputedly covered over 300,000 miles in its first sixteen years of working life at a Devon-based building merchant. It was then acquired by the Teignmouth Quarry Company in the 1950s and used for shunting railway trucks. Now, more than sixty years after leaving Devon, it is returning to the locality.

Mike Overfield-Collins, the rally chairman for the 50th Historic Vehicle Gathering, said: “This year looks to be a very special year for us as we welcome along new attractions for the whole family to enjoy, even more trade stands and one of the largest displays of vehicles covering over 100 years of motoring.” 

This year’s headline charities being supported by the Historic Vehicle Gathering are Hospiscare (Exeter), Sidmouth Living with Cancer Support Group (Sidmouth Area), and StarterMotor.

The Historic Vehicle Gathering runs from 10am until 4:30pm on both days. For further information, visit https://historic-vehicle-gathering.info.