Coventry. Thinking about Coventry hardly gets your juices going. Neither is it a destination that you think of being related to the automotive industry for well over 5 decades. For those who are not aware of Coventry links to motoring however, it seems that the Coventry MotoFest set out to address that. From its humble beginnings back in 2014 it has continued to grow and flourish as the years go on. This year did not dissapoint either.
With well over 200 classic cars in attendance there was certainly plenty of retro material for the locals of Coventry as well as the enthusiasts to enjoy.
Replica or not, I fancy a D Type:
It seemed that the Coventry spirit was present with a couple of cars suffering the usual niggles:
As a matter of fact there were three area in which to view the cars at the MotoFest, including outside the Transport museum:
It was not just old cars however. Right by the Coventry Train station was a showcase of a variety of cars, both new and old. These included Jaguar Heritage:
Aston Martin, where there would be another treat for us later:
But this was no arcetypical “Look, but don’t touch” car festival. Oh no ; there was more in store than that. That started with the Stock cars doing the rounds on the Moat Street Car park, right by the Skydome:
But, this show gave a little more than that. Enter Stage Left:
Yes, the drifting boys were in town:
OK, so there was a small active display, big deal I hear some of you say? Who said anything about small? Right on the Ring Road of Coventry were a variety of cars driven the best way they could be, with plenty of stick!:
There is something lovely about seeing a Palmer driven at pace:
That said, the icing on the cake had to be the Aston Martin Vulcan, which made its premier public debut right on the Ring Road of Coventry with all of us able to revel in the howl of that angry V12. Who was saying the Supercars of old were dead?
All in, it was a great show and with something for everyone, espeically given that the event is free!
It was a sterling performance put on by the MotoFest crew, with @ringweekends certainly managing the track very well. However, the lucky bloke did manage to get a go in something more unique than the Vulcan. This would be Rover’s BRM jet engined car.
And on that note, bring on Coventry MotoFest 2017 and whatever surprises are in store for us
Leyland Legends 