Popular classic car event returns to Grampian Transport Museum

By Felicity Donohoe

April 17 2022, 6:00 am

The Grampian Transport Museum event celebrates vehicles that were once common on the roads but are now rare.

Grampian Transport Museum (GTM) has announced the return of its How Many Left? event – which celebrates mass produced cars and motorcycles once common on our roads – after its launch proved to be a hit with visitors.

GTM’s “rarity index” calculates the degree to which a car was once a popular sight on the roads, and compares it to the number of vehicles currently licensed for use against the original production run – and some of the results have been surprising.

The Austin Allegro, Vauxhall Cavalier, Hillman Imp, Renault 21 or Ford Cortina – to name a few – have left their mark on the evolution of family transport, and are a source of fond memories for many.

However, these everyday vehicles can now be considered rarer than some of their exotic contemporaries, prompting calls to preserve a generation of motoring heritage.

A celebration of everyday vehicles

How Many Left? 2022 will take place on Sunday 8th May in GTM’s arena, with a list of over 100 vehicles already entered.

Entries so far include an Austin A90 Atlantic once owned by King Farouk of Egypt, and a prototype Vanden Plas limousine (based on the 1800 Land Crab) which British Leland never put into production.

Three wheelers and motorcycles are well represented, too, with Reliant Robin, BSA Bantam, Vincent Black Shadow and Aerial Arrow among the names signing up, plus a new compound of BMC and British Leyland vehicles representing all their marques over the years also making an appearance.

So whatever vehicle you have and whatever condition it is in – from barn finds and everyday drivers to concours restorations – all are welcome as long as they represent previously mass-produced vehicles of which there are now under 500 known to still exist – “Once everywhere, now rare.”