Bay to Birdwood Classic 2005: Keith visits Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia

They reckon South Australia is the home of historic motoring and we reinforce that claim every year with the Bay to Birdwood. It began as an event strictly for car enthusiasts but now thousands enjoy it.

We all know about the regular Bay to Birdwood - it's been running for 25 years and is has become an institution. But the Classic runs on the alternate year and is for vehicles built between 1955 and 1975. It attracts an enormous variety - cars, trucks, motor bikes, fire trucks and buses of all makes and models - and there's generally one or two Elvis' and Marilyns on board too.

This year there'll be more than 17-hundred entries including three hundred or so from interstate. They'll be flagged away by Glenn Dix of Grand Prix fame but there'll be no flying starts. Just a slow, steady pace along the route that this year goes through the city. It's lined by hundreds of thousands of people who bring their beach chairs and thermoses and make a day of the passing parade which takes a couple of hours to pass by.

We rounded up our own group of Postcards 'forward scouts' to check out the more challenging part of the course through the hills. And we found out why a collection of classic cars tends to be such a traffic stopper. Among them was a mint condition Holden Monaro and like all the teams, the owners were dressed to suit. When the Monaro roared in the 70s side-burns were long, the flares were wide and platform soles were high.

The sixties were well represented too with Dave Potter's 1963 Black Chevrolet 283 V8 making light work of the hills.

Nola, David and young Natalie turned out in their 1966 Thunderbird - complete with swing away steering wheel which was designed to give the more 'portly' driver easy access. The T-bird and all the cars are real attention grabbers.

I asked Nola and David where the T-bird sits in the family tree. "Definitely as a member of the family," conceded David. "I'd say it's the 'other' woman." Laughed Nola.

That tends to be a bit of a reoccurring theme among these car folk but the organisers aren't complaining - after all that's what makes the Bay to Birdwood so special.

Come the Sunday of the Classic the paddock behind the National Motor Museum at Birdwood will be filled with cars, people, bands and food stalls. It's a real family event.

The Bay to Birdwood Classic is on Sunday 25th of September 2005. It kicks off at 6am with a 'breakfast with the cars' at Adelaide Shores and they'll get rolling at 9.

Watch them go by or join them in Birdwood with a full days entertainment. If you want to get there quickly - go via the South-East Freeway.

Bay to Birdwood Classic
Sunday 25 September