Jamaica Classic Car Club 2018 Show - Surpassing all expectations!

Last Sunday, the Jamaica Horticultural Society in Hope Pastures served as the venue for one of the Jamaica's biggest organised displays of classic cars in recent years. The Jamaica Classic Car Club presented the 2018 Classic Car Show for avid car lovers - and even some vaguely curious spectators.

According club to president Shane Angus, "the club was formed in 1987 when a group of collectors just decided that we wanted to have a club and to restore and preserve the cars that are here and share with the public."

Angus continued to tell Automotives: "This event is not a common event; it happens like once every 10 years. The last one was actually in 2009." The show displayed a variety of vehicular beauties ranging from Porsche, Nissan, Toyota, Ferrari and Bentley models all the way to the likes of a 1926 Chevrolet, one of the highlights of the display.

Cars of our history

Starting at 10 a.m., the day saw a host of individuals of all ages taking time to marvel and photograph various highlights of the auto exhibition. Enthusiasts and newcomers alike made a day of appreciating aspects of Jamaica's automotive past and present, taking breaks in-between sunshine and rain to rest and take advantage of refreshments on sale.

When asked why the club decided to host such an event, Angus shared, "We thought the time was right. Members of the club were asking for it, and it gave the members who weren't participating as much the urge to work on their cars and expose them to the public."

The president further explained that the event served to gives members a chance to display their cars and gives the public a chance to view cars and learn their history. "We've been growing as a club. A lot of new member have never done something like this. And, also, we want to continue in our job to educate the public, as well as get new members for the club. These cars are historic pieces, so people come and see these cars and learn about their history."

Some of the cars existed during Jamaica's independence era and even earlier, during the second World War: "There's actually a bike here that was donated by the Queen to Jamaica, and that bike was actually part of the Independence parade. It's a black Thunderbird; it was a police bike at the time. There's a WWII car here, and a WWII bike as well."

Members of the club, as well as sponsors and spectators, all seemed to agree that the Classic Car Show was an outing to enjoy for everyone. It can serve as a family excursion for car fanatics who want to expose their families to the world of classic cars, and even over the roaring engines, spectators enjoyed being serenaded by the live band provided at the event. Angus emphasised, "even if you're not a car lover, when you're here, just look at the shape of the cars and the technology that's in them. These are things you don't see every day. Even if you're not an enthusiast, you would appreciate the design and the craftsmanship that goes into these cars and the work that the members put into these cars."

Preparation and pay-off of the day

The majority of the work went into preparing the cars and the actual organisation of the event. Angus revealed that the members of the Jamaica Classic Car Club had been developing the idea for Sunday's event for three years: "We went down a road of starting and stopping and starting and stopping, but this is actually eight months of continuous planning, getting members sensitised, and getting them to start to prepare to bring their cars."

The work seemingly paid off as the club president described the day as a success. "Today was great; it's a very good day for us. Our target was 120 cars, and we surpassed that, and we had bikes as well. What we got out of it was all we set out to do." Angus mentioned that even the event's sponsors, BCIC, AmsOil, Toyota Jamaica, Fidelity Motors, Nissan Jamaica, and ATL Automotives, to name a few, also seemed pleased with the day's outcome.

Anyone interested in classic cars and the Jamaica Classic Car Clubs will have quite a few opportunities to see features of the club up close. "We do monthly drive-outs all over the island. For example, in January, we'll start in Hope Gardens, and then probably drive to Port Royal, Mandeville, St Ann." More events are also held: "On the 25th of November, we'll be downtown with JCDC, who are doing a homecoming event, and we'll be helping them out there with convertibles. On December 2, we'll also have cars on the waterfront again , doing drive-arounds to help them promote their events as well."