May 16 - Classic Car Rally in Gibraltar on Saturday
The Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association (GCVA) hopes that by the end of this coming Saturday 18th May its members and their guests will become experts on the Great Siege and the exploits of one Col. John Drinkwater Bethune.
Once more the GCVA is using the opportunity of the vehicles to promote Gibraltar. It seems appropriate that an association dedicated to the preservation of our motoring heritage should celebrate all of Gibraltar's heritage. More about how the GCVA is going about this in a minute, but first to the men and women and their magnificent machines.
The Festival starts with the arrival at 10:00 of the first classic machines at Casemates where they will remain in a static display until 13:20. This is the ideal time to come to view the vehicles and to talk to their owners. However don't expect to meet all of the drivers after 11:30 as any who are interested may take a guided tour of the Garrison Library to learn about its founder Col. John Drinkwater Bethune. We expect around 60 vehicles from Gibraltar, Spain and Morocco to join us so Casemates should be a very interesting scene.
At 13:20 the vehicles will move out of Casemates in convoy travelling south all the way along Main Street to Cathedral Square. From there they will head along Line Wall Rd to Waterport past Morrisons and then along Bishop Caruana Avenue joining Queensway at the Coaling Island roundabout. The plan is to then head north to Devil's Tower Road and the East Side to arrive at Harding's Battery at Europa Point for another history lesson and photo opportunity. The convoy will then move north down Europa Road and Queensway to arrive at Ocean Village by 14:45 for a buffet lunch, with the Chief Minister as the guest of honour.
Gibraltar has so few miles of road yet is laden with so many historical points of interest that it is a truly fascinating place to tour. To be able to do this in a classic car is surely unbeatable. I am sure Saturday will be a great day to enjoy our cars on this remarkable Rock. We hope to see you all somewhere during the day as we celebrate our motoring heritage around the Rock.
On Sunday morning from around 11:00 you'll be able to catch another glimpse of these cars at Puerto Sotogrande where owners will be taking a coffee break as the GCVA returns a compliment by joining forces with the Andalucian Classic Car Club for a rally in the Spanish hinterland.
