A beautifully restored 1923 Buick Roadster will take pride of place at the St Leonards Festival being held Melbourne Cup weekend.
The classic two-seater is one of a large number of vintage and historic vehicles to go on display at this year’s event.
The vintage roadster is the pet passion of St Leonards man Roy Cook who spent thousands of hours over 15 years to bring her back to life.
“She was just a pile of bits and pieces when I first acquired her back in 1985”, Mr Cook said.
“Ï re-assembled her the old fashioned way, by hand, a slow, arduous and painstaking process”.
Mr Cook said the old Buick is a piece of technology from a bygone era.
“The frame is solid timber as is the dashboard and wheel spokes”.
“Likewise the engine components are made from the highest grade steel – there are no modern alloys or other space age materials used in the construction”, he said.
By today’s standards she is a bit of a gas guzzler.
The vehicle returns a thirsty 14 litres per hundred kilometres which is exactly the fuel flow cited in the original owners’ manual (18 miles per gallon).
The four cylinder engine is rated at 14 horse power which is enough grunt to send the old girl cruising down the highway at a respectable 60 kilometres per hour.
The 1923 Buick is just one of dozens of historic, vintage and classic cars on display at the Festival.
Among participating groups is the Hillman Car Club which will be showing various Hillman sedans and Sunbeam sports cars.
Trivia buffs will remember the Sunbeam Tiger as the vehicle driven by secret agent Maxwell Smart in the famous 1970s TV show.
The Western District Historic Vehicle Club will also be attending the event as will the Morris Minor Club.
The St Leonards Festival will be held on Saturday 30th October in the picturesque bay-side village.
It will feature a vast array of cultural and culinary experiences and a large slice of local history.
A series of activities designed especially for young people, including an animal farm, face painting, a roller blade ramp and a video game exhibit have been secured for the event.
A family fishing competition is again part of the Festival and it has attracted record entries.
