A town is celebrating its motoring history with a vintage car show.
The Festival of Motoring looks back at Tunbridge Wells’ first British Motorshow in 1895 with a collection of vehicles dating back to the 19th century.
The town’s automobile history goes back 130 years, when the mayor, Sir David Salomons, hosted the Horseless Carriage Exhibition.
The politician, who was also a motoring enthusiast, showcased his own two-cylinder Daimler-engined Peugeot. The exhibition also included the first foreign-built motorcar to be imported into the UK, a 3.5 horsepower Panhard-Levassor.
The show attracted crowds of more than 6,000 people and was featured in the first issue of The Autocar, which has now become the world’s longest-running automotive publication, with reports focusing on visitors’ fascination with new motorised vehicles.
To mark the anniversary of this historic car show, the two-day festival will bring together vintage vehicles dating back to the 1890s and modern-day automobiles.
The weekend will shine a spotlight on a range of exhibitors, including Autohistoric, who restore and preserve vintage cars from the Edwardian era; CKL, who specialise in sports cars from the ‘50s and ‘60s; and Tunbridge Wells Motor Club, one of the oldest motor clubs in the country.
The Festival of Motoring takes place at The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3. Free entry, no need to book.
