Annual Classic Car and Bike Show a success

Last Saturday (6th July), over 200 classic cars and motorbikes rolled into the WWETB Waterford Training Centre at the IDA Industrial Estate on the Cork Road, Waterford for the fifth annual Classic Car and Bike Show, hosted by the on-site instructors of the Classic Car Restoration Course.

The showcase was hosted to celebrate and demonstrate the works completed by the course participants who have taken part in either the Classic Car Restoration day or evening courses.

Visitors enjoyed the event in their droves with over 1,000 people reported to have attended the Saturday morning fun as they enjoyed the showcase of vintage and classic vehicles and got a peek into the classic car restoration workshops at the centre.

Visitors enjoyed tours of the hugely impressive workshops and even tried their hand at some skills required in each course using virtual reality gaming technology. They also had the opportunity to meet with course instructors and former course participants to learn more about the course, the modules and the technologies used.

The Classic Car Restoration Course was launched in 2016 at the Waterford Training Centre part of the Waterford Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB) and it is the only course of its kind in Ireland.

To date, over 300 people have taken part and gained qualifications in the Classic Car Restoration Course and the event demonstrated the professional skills these course participants gained, and offered an opportunity for the public to gain a little insight into the course content at the WWETB Waterford Training Centre.

The Classic Car Restoration Course instructor Pat Bolger has over 40 years of experience in the motor trade and in restoring classic cars. “We are very proud to see this show grow and grow each year, the number of quality cars and bikes on show here is a testament to the level of interest in classic motoring and the skills required to maintain these now rare motors,” he said.

“We are very proud to see some fine examples on show by past and present the classic car restoration course participants too.”

Unit manager at Waterford Wexford Training Services Shay Cummins added: “We were delighted to see the numbers attending to take the rare opportunity to get inside our car restoration workshop and check out the different workstations and processes behind this intricate work.

“We offer our congratulations to all of the course participants who received their certificates of completion today and a big thank you to all of the visitors to our show and the motoring enthusiasts who brought along their beautiful classic cars and bikes this year too.”

Vehicle owners who attended and put their classic or vintage on display were able to vote for the ‘best in show’ competition. The winner of the best Classic Car was Noel Shanaghy from Faithlegg for his Renault 4 CWT pickup. The winner of the Best Bike was Larry Power from Clarina, Limerick for his 1940’s Indian Chief US Military bike.