10
Jun
Harrogate town centre to host biggest ever veteran and modern supercar show
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The centre of Harrogate is to host a car show featuring vehicles from the dawn of motoring and the latest supercars.
On Saturday, June 21, James Street will be closed to traffic as it hosts 70 antique cars that are participating in the Veteran Car Tour of Yorkshire. At the same time, 40 modern supercars will be on display outside the Yorkshire Hotel, sponsored by local company Apollo Capital.
This is the second time the car concours has been held in Harrogate. It's free to attend, and last year's event proved very popular with large crowds surrounding the cars.
The veteran cars are organised by Daniel Ward, an antique car enthusiast. Mr Ward told the Stray Ferret that this year's show will be spectacular:
We are putting on a concours display of the cars to give the public access to see all of the cars close up and to talk to the owners and drivers. It is free to anyone who wants to come.
These vehicles represent the dawn of motoring. We have 10 cars coming from USA, and also from: Hong Kong, Turkey, Monaco, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Jersey and Ireland.
We are sharing it with Apollo Capital, who will be bringing 40 modern supercars to give a complete contrast.
A "veteran" car is classified as any vehicle built before the First World War.
The oldest car on display will be a 1898, French-built Mors. At the other end of the scale there will be a 1903 60hp Mercedes – one of the greatest racing cars invented.
The 60hp Mercedes cars were the original supercars. The car coming to James Street won the 1903 Gordon Bennet Trophy race held in Ireland – that's equivalent to today’s Formula One World Championship.
Mr Ward said these cars were a triumph of engineering in their day:
We have come a long way from the first attempts at mechanising transport 140 years ago, as these vehicles show.
The ingenuity of engineers to overcome immense challenges in the development of materials and fuels is demonstrated in these magnificent cars, which are still capable of achieving their original design objectives.
At the other end of the car evolutionary scale are the 40 modern supercars that will be on display, sponsored by Apollo Capital.
Amongst others, there will be a Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari 488 Pista, Mercedes AMG GTR and McLaren Artura.
Andy King, CEO of Apollo Capital, said they were keen to support a local event:
Apollo Capital are renowned for their expertise in the luxury, supercar and hypercar finance world, but we have a strong passion for classics too.
We’ve collaborated with our close friends at the Veteran Car Rally to produce an unmissable celebration of automotive excellence in Harrogate town centre.
On Saturday, June 21 you can enjoy an amazing £30 million+ supercar display outside the Yorkshire Hotel and on James Street consisting of 70 beautiful veteran cars and 40 stunning modern supercars, which will give everyone the rare opportunity to experience these cars up close.
To mark the occasion in style, we’ve also arranged for an unforgettable Grand Départ at 3pm, so don’t miss it!
The veteran cars will be on show on James Street in Harrogate between 11am and 3.30pm.
If you want to hear the engines starting up, the Grand Départ takes place at 3pm.
James Street will be closed to traffic from 8am to 6.30pm.
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