Express & Star

Crowds flock to see vintage motors at Black Country Museum

Hundreds of enthusiasts motored to one of the region's top venues for a display of vintage vehicles.

Published
The Festival of Black Country Vehicles

The Black Country Living Museum, in Tipton Road, Dudley hosted the Festival of Black Country Vehicles.

The event, which is in its fifteenth year, celebrated the Black Country’s history as a major centre for vehicle manufacturing – and has become one of the most popular days in the museum's calendar.

Visitors had the chance to chat to the vehicles' owners to learn about their, and also had the chance to see the museum's bus, trolley bus and tram collection in action.

All vehicles on show were built in the Black Country – with some more than 100 years old.

Regional classic car brands at the festival included Austin, Bean, Clyno, Jensen, Lomax, Quantum, Rickman, Star, Sunbeam, Swallow, Turner and Westfield.

The area gained its reputation from the early 1900s, with engineers of the Black Country turning their expertise to the new technologies available to build pioneering vehicles.

Wolverhampton-based Clyno was once the third largest car manufacturer in Britain, while AJS and Sunbeam carved out reputations in TT races and land speed records.