The 10th Linlithgow Classic Car Day – a Classic Event – Sunday 25th August 2019

What started small over 10 years ago in 2007 and with 3-4 guys being asked to wheel out their cars to brighten up the town centre on an occasional Saturday morning, has grown in size to become the Linlithgow Classics Car Group (www.linlithgowclassics.com) with over 40 members, and not only from Linlithgow but from a much wider area, which is open to anyone who likes old cars. Folk might have seen the cars at the Cross or the Vennel between April and September. Over the last ten years the Group’s cars have supported the open day at Donaldson’s School, the Steelyard Day in Bathgate, the Round Table Fun Day, both Linlithgow and Broxburn Gala Day (won 1^st prize in 2013) processions, the Ferry Fair, the recent Forth Bridges Festival, and of course the Linlithgow Marches, winning the Gazette Trophy in 2015 and 2016 for the Best Local Entry.

The day is now an official event for Visit West Lothian and has become part of the UK classic car events calendar, which attracts classic cars, vans and motor bikes from all over Scotland, and has now become an attraction to car owners from even further afield in Northern England and occasionally the continent as well, putting the town well and truly on the map.  What in its 1st year attracted 40 odd cars has grown to well over 200 entries as of last year. The entries over the years have included super-cars, hill-climb specials, classic racing saloon car, pre and post-war MGs, vintage Bentley Special, vintage Austins, Morris, Austin-Healeys, Jaguar E-Types, TRs, Wolseleys, Fords, World War II Jeeps, American ‘muscle-cars’, Minis, Aston Martins, Rovers, Morgans, Maseratis, Jensens, Rileys, Sunbeams, Lancias, and a whole lot more.

The event is held in the town centre with the cars around Linlithgow Cross, all along the Vennel, and up to the Palace car park from lunchtime / 1230 until teatime / 430-5pm, making a spectacle and making a noise with music and commentary also provided. The event is now one of the few held in Scotland in a working town centre without being closed off for the day making it somewhat unique.

The day sees the cars gather in the morning at the Park Bistro east of the town beside the Millennium Link canal for a bacon roll and coffee or two, followed this year by the Jim Clark Memorial road run around the area. It’s generally a colourful and raucous spectacle, which for the past few years has been kindly officially opened and closed by West Lothian Council’s Provost Cllr Tom Kerr.

The event’s organised and run entirely by volunteers but couldn’t take place without the help and assistance of a host of local businesses who assist through hugely welcome sponsorship and support and the organisers try their best to keep everything spent locally on organisation where they can.

So, the local population can look out for the event, the cars, and the Best Car of the Show 1st prize show-cased before the event in Robert Callander Optician’s window, note the day in the diary, and hope once more we’re blessed by glorious weather for everyone - the owners, drivers, passengers, visitors, mums, dads and kids to once more have a brilliant time, and probably loads of ice cream.

Dave Keddie

Linlithgow Classic Car Group