Ford rules at classic Concours d’Elegance

What you need to know:

  • The cars were categorised into different classes — from one to 15. They were then judged on their age, roadworthiness, interior, boot and external finish amongst others.

John Wroe’s 1930 Ford Model A on Sunday won him a shield, a medal and a Sh21,000 cash voucher as he took first place at the 49th edition of the Concours d’Elegance Afromotive event held at the Ngong Racecourse.

The annual event that has existent since 1970 registered several entries, including 72 cars and 31 motorcycles, highlighting the African Continental status of the classiest event on the Kenya motor sports calendar.

The cars were categorised into different classes — from one to 15. They were then judged on their age, roadworthiness, interior, boot and external finish amongst others.

Motorcycles, on the other hand, were categorised from class 16 to 21. They were judged based on their trim, roadworthiness, external finish and age.

The event was organised by Alfa Romeo Owners club and sponsored by Commercial Bank of Africa. It had in attendance automobile artisans and mechanics from South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

EXPOSURE

This year, the participants also came from Uganda and South Africa.

Rift Valley Technical Training Institute head trainer Fredrick Obiero said the event was a great exposure to his students and the staff because this was their first time to enter as competitors in the event.

“We have seen different works of art on different vehicles and we now know that we can work on ours intentionally to lead in next years’ competitions,” Mr Obiero said.

Vocational and Technical Training Principal Secretary Kevit Desai brought his sleek Jaguar 420 model.

He encouraged more technical institutions to be more hands-on in training mechanics and artisans using the ever evolving technology.