PESHAWAR - The entertainment-starved Peshawarites were quite impressed and excited with the closer look of the world’s oldest and classic cars entering the sprawling Garrison Club on Saturday.
Over 100 vintage and classic cars purchased and manufactured between the years 1920-1970 were put on display at the event. Thousands of visitors thronged the venue to accord a warm welcome to the participants of spectacular fifth Karachi to Khyber Vintage Car Rally.
The Vintage & Classic Car Club of Pakistan (VCCCP) had organised the rally that was earlier rolled out in Karachi on November 24 with stopovers at Gambut, Rahimyar Khan, Multan, Lahore, Islamabad, Bhurban, Abbottabad and finally reached Peshawar on Friday. The caravan of around 25 classic cars departed from Karachi which was joined by 20 other cars from Islamabad and 25 cars from Peshawar.
In Peshawar, Asim Durrani of the Classic Land Rover hosted while the Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) sponsored the event.
“The event has attracted large crowd of visitors of all ages and genders, which gives a positive message that we love peace and tourism, not terrorism,” said Muhammad Tariq Additional Secretary Sports, Tourism, Culture, Archaeology, Museums & Youth Affairs Department who was accompanied by the Managing Director Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mushtaq Ahmad Khan and other dignitaries. This is the fifth time the iconic vehicles made it to Peshawar.
The visitors, including children, youth, men and women evinced keen interest in the classic and oldest cars. They included Hupmobile, Rolls-Royce, Rolls Royce Silver Wraith (1939), MG TD (1950), Humber Hawk (1957), Ford Thunderbird (1960), Ford Mustang (1964), Austin Mini (1967), Alfa Romeo, Mercedes 108s, MGB, Austin-Healey, MGA Roadster, Chevrolet Corvette (1982), Peugeot 404, Mini Clubman 1275GT and others, which made the event unique and attractive.
Everyone rejoiced to have a closer look at the cars of bygone days and shared their feelings with their companions and friends.
The event was meant to attract visitors and tourists to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and present a softer image of the province and people to the world. “We are peace-loving people and we have nothing to do with the terrorism and militancy in the region. Everyone should play his/her role for the restoration of peace and promotion of tourism,” Khalid Khan, a visitor to the venue said, adding that peace and education were prerequisites for development of the country and prosperity of the nation. The participants and visitors hailed the show and urged the organisers to arrange such events in future too.