Scotland’s largest gathering of automotive old timers managed to plug through the mud of the Glamis Castle showground to make the 37th running of the Scottish Transport Extravaganza a hit.
Torrential rain made the handling of the two-day event a major challenge for organisers Strathmore Vintage Vehicle Club but exhibitors rallied to ensure their treasured cars, bikes, trucks and a host of other unusual modes of transport looked their best and the public responded magnificently with numbers up on the sodden Saturday.
The Extravaganza is a key family day out on the summer calendar and SVVC officials praised the enthusiasts for their response this year.
“With the weather and other factors there were a few late call-offs but it was still a very big entry for the Extravaganza and, despite the heavy rain on Saturday, there was no question of a call-off,” said SVVC administrator Lesley Munro.
“We were really pleased on Saturday. There were huge showers all day but the crowd was up and the stands selling welly boots and umbrellas have done a roaring trade. We have had a lot of people coming through the gates today so we’re sure overall numbers will still be very good.”
In the competitive classes a rare 1934 Wolsley Hornet Daytona Special drove off with the Extravaganza’s best in show accolade, and proved itself a very useable collector’s piece with class victory in the regularity run which saw almost 50 vehicles tour the roads of Angus on Saturday.
The top car prize went to a chic Italian with very strong Angus connections a 1965 Fiat 500F bought new in August in 1965 from John Duncan & Son’s garage in Brechin for the princely sum of £447 and 14 shillings. Complete with original invoice, the 498cc runabout has still only covered 31,000 miles.
The oldest winning entry was an 1881 Thos Smith 52in penny farthing but the passage of time covered by the Extravaganza was perfectly illustrated by another top performer in the cycle category an immaculately restored 1971 Raleigh Chopper Mark 1 which scooped a string of awards including the show’s best 40-year-old.