Cars are the stars at Lagan Valley Island Italian display

The sun was shining down on the Northern Ireland Italian Motor Club (NIIMC) when they displayed their magnificent array of cars at their annual event last Saturday at Lagan Valley Island.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Jun 2014, 10:18 BST
One of the great cars on showOne of the great cars on show
One of the great cars on show

Donnelly Group and Charles Hurst Specialist Car Division supported the event with their range of Alfa Romeos, Abarths, Maseratis and Ferraris.

The Ferrari 458 Speciale was the epitome of Italian style and flair. It drew many admiring looks and proved to be the car that most children (and their dads) wanted to be photographed beside.

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As the vehicles arrived there was no shortage of variety, from a humble Fiat 126 to the exquisite and much admired Ferrari 330 GTC and Dino Ferrari 246 both owned by the same family.

The annual Italian car displayThe annual Italian car display
The annual Italian car display

A firm favourite with the onlookers was the classic Lancia Delta Integrale and the owner of a rare 1970 Lancia Flavia 2000 Coupe was rewarded for making the journey from outside Dublin especially to attend by receiving one of the prizes awarded at the show.

Alfa Romeo was the best represented Italian brand. Members from the Alfa Romeo Owner’s Club, Irish Section had brought an impressive variety of vehicles representing five decades of Alfa Romeo.

Fiat’s were well represented too – from a 1964 1500 Cabrio to 500’s, Pandas, Puntos, Unos, Stilos, X/19’s, Fiat 131 Mirafiori Sports and several Coupes, not forgetting a small but beautiful Fiat 850 Coupe. A Maserati Quattroporte was a contender for best sounding car of the day as it rumbled into the show giving the Ferrari owners a run for their money.

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Some of the wheeled attractions Ducatis and Motto Guzzi’s were also popular from the Piaggio and Aprilia.

Mayor Margaret Tolerton gets ready for the Italian car displayMayor Margaret Tolerton gets ready for the Italian car display
Mayor Margaret Tolerton gets ready for the Italian car display

A range of other interesting non Italian models included a Ford Escort Cosworth, Mini Cooper S, Rover 3500S, Opel Manta, and several Porsches, including a rare and immaculate 1960 Porsche 356 added additional interest.

Organiser Tim Logan said “We are delighted with the success of today’s show.

“We anticipated a healthy turnout but the range and quality of the vehicles that arrived exceeded our expectations. This year’s show had all the right ingredients – fabulous cars and bikes, glorious weather and a warm and welcoming atmosphere.”

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Lisburn’s Mayor Margaret Tolerton officially opened the show and escorted by club

Chairman, Cyril McMullen took the opportunity to mingle and chat with owners who were only too glad to tell him about their love affair with the cars.

Overall it was a truly successful event for NIIMC – with support from Lisburn City Council and other sponsors.