Owners of around 200 classic and performance cars, motorbikes and light commercials were back at one of the north’s leading heritage attractions at the weekend, for the Lakeland Motor Museum’s first ‘Drive & Ride In Day’ of 2019 – enjoying what museum bosses described as an “extraordinary” turn-out.
A wide range of vehicles were brought to Backbarrow on April 14, where drivers showed off their pride and joy to visitors and other vehicle owners in the site’s car parks – prompting some visitors to comment how they’d “never seen so many cars”. Former editor of Classic Jaguar magazine Ian Seabrook also attended, where he shot a video for his HubNut channel, which attracted more than 11,000 views just 12 hours after being published online.
One enthusiast even drove 327 miles from Bournemouth to take part in the gathering.
As with the Boxing Day event, once again, a special hand-made trophy was awarded to the owner of the vehicle judged to be the most interesting or unique, which on this occasion was a 1962 Vauxhall Victor in primrose yellow, owned by Michael Taylor from Blackpool.
After being declared the winner of the contest, Michael said, “I’ve driven past the museum on the A590 many times but hadn’t ever actually dropped-in. I read about the event a couple of weeks ago in the press and decided to go along, completely unaware that there was even a contest for ‘most interesting or unique vehicle’. Because I didn’t know about the competition, I had no intention to win, so when I was awarded the trophy I was gobsmacked. It looks fantastic in my house and I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m so grateful and really enjoyed the museum.”
The museum’s operations manager Chris Lowe (pictured awarding Michael’s trophy) says, “Again, we’ve shown that days like this are absolutely perfect for both enthusiasts and casual admirers of classic and interesting looking vehicles alike. Choosing a winner for our ‘most interesting vehicle’ award is always tough, and this weekend was no different.
“This latest trophy is a combination of three interesting finds from our workshop, a 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air hood ornament, bolted to a Wrights unused British registration plate we’ve used as the base, complimented by a set of Cee-Tee pliers, all the way from New York, which I used as the stand on the back.”
The museum will also welcome participants of the annual FBHVC Drive It Day on April 28, a national event where the use of heritage vehicles is promoted. Several car clubs are expected to call in at the museum as part of a tour of the surrounding countryside.
The museum is the home of a unique collection of 30,000 exhibits, including well over 150 classic cars and motorbikes.
