Coventry Car day celebrated the city’s links with the motor industry via a mini motor show and talks from figureheads in the motoring world.
Organised by the city’s university, which offers a number of courses with an automotive theme, the event attracted a host of Coventry-built cars including Alvis, Swift, Triumph, Humber, Hillman and Jaguar.
Joining local enthusiast Nigel Hugo’s century-old Ford Model T was a host of Reliants, a built-to-order Alvis 4.3-litre Continuation Series, two Swifts from 1925 and 1928, a Sunbeam Tiger, and a 1939 Lanchester Eleven, which was built by automotive pioneer Dr Fredrick Lanchester, who inspired the university’s original name – Lanchester Polytechnic.
A fantastic rear-wing-free Lamborghini Countach and a Lotus Europa were flying the flag for classic performance.
The Mercedes SLS – the design of which was led by a Coventry graduate – headed up a list of modern supercar attendees, such as Ferrari’s 458 and California, plus the Ariel Atom, which was conceived within Coventry’s design course.
