TIME TO CELEBRATE !
Among the many highlights of this fantastic weekend which celebrates the motor car in all its forms and varieties are the car club displays that pack out the Silverstone infield with an incredible array of cars spanning more than 100 years from more than 100 clubs and associations .
It is an incredible walk through motoring history and frequently comments like ‘ I used to have one of those ’ or ‘ my dad had one of those ’ are drawn from admiring onlookers as club members meet and celebrate their particular motoring passion .
The variety is remarkable . There is everything here from Pre-War cars from Austin , Rolls Royce , Aston Martin and more right through to modern day supercars from marques like Nissan and Porsche .
Each day , during the lunch break in the race programme , groups of cars will take to the circuit for a parade lap to celebrate a particular anniversary . And the diversity is truly staggering . These lunchtime parades will put hundreds of cars onto the track , giving their owners a unique chance to tour the mighty Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in the company of fellow enthusiasts .
Friday kicks off with a raft of anniversary parades and Ferrari is particularly well marked with celebrations of 60 years of the 250GT , 75 years of the famous marque and 55 years of the Ferrari Club GB . Also marking 75 years is TVR which remembers the creation of Trevcar motors in 1947 by Trevor Wilkinson , which was a start off point for the TVR range of cars built in Blackpool .
Among the more affordable models for anyone seeking a collectable car , 50 years of the Fiat X1 / 9 is another noteworthy celebration , marking the arrival of the neat two-seater roadster from Fiat in 1972 . Around 160,000 were produced over a 17-year period .
On Saturday more anniversaries will be celebrated , notably 60 years of the Lotus
Elan , surely one of the most enduringly popular sports cars of an era and still actively raced as you will see in this weekend ’ s race programme . The 60th anniversary will be celebrated both by Club Lotus and the Lotus Drivers Club with a wonderful array of Elans .
Triumph has three anniversaries on Saturday , topped by 60 years of the Spitfire , 60 years of the Vitesse and 50 years of the Dolomite , which went on to become a successful racer in the Sprint variety and there are sure to be one or two of those out this weekend in the Historic Touring Car race . 60 years of the AC Cobra will be honoured by the 289 Register , the Cobra Register , the AC Owners Club and the Cobra Replica Club while Westfield , the low volume two seater sports car marque , reaches its 40th anniversary and remembers founder Chris Smith who sadly died last year .
Sunday lunchtime is topped by the centenary of the wonderful Austin Seven . Back in 1922 , the Austin Seven was launched as an affordable car for ordinary people and ,
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