Express & Star

Classic car rally takes over Black Country before continuing tour of Midlands and Shropshire

Dozens of classic cars took to the roads of the Black Country and Shropshire for an annual rally.

Published
The start of the rally

Members of the Traction Owners Club took their Citroen Traction Avant cars on a journey throughout the region over the weekend.

A group of 30 cars began their convey at the Village Hotel in Walsall on Saturday morning and took a tour of the area's hotspots in a journey titled 'The Black Country Experience'.

They ventured through the Staffordshire countryside before heading through Telford, Ironbridge, Bridgnorth and then back towards Birmingham on Sunday.

They stopped at a number of attractions along the way, including a Peaky Blinders-themed private function at the Black Country Living Museum.

This came after another Peaky Blinders-themed event they held on Friday at the Village Hotel in Walsall.

Organiser Steve Southgate with his Citroen Traction Avant

Organiser of the event, Steve Southgate, aged 70 from Sutton Coldfield, said: "It was excellent, it really went well, the evening entertainment was great and it all went perfectly.

"On the rally we all made it out and onto the road and onto all our stops.

"It's great seeing the cars all leave and head to the destination together, especially going up the M54 and seeing the convey behind you, it's a real spectacle.

"A lot of people passing by wave to use, the cars are really admired so it was nice.

"The Black Country Living Museum has really adopted the Peaky Blinders so we went down their and larked around all dressed up and we had a good laugh.

"We have some excellent images of the cars parked at the Black Country Living Museum.

The cars parked up in Walsall before the rally

"It's an event we do every year in different places, it's been almost 15 years since we had it here, and some people joked it may be another 15, but I'll be well into my 80s by then, so we'll just have to see."

This event is a warm-up to a centenary celebration of the first Citroen Traction Avant car.

Held in France from July 19 to 21, Steve and other members of the group will be joining thousands of other car owners at the event.

Steve added: "That will take some planning to get the cars ready.

"The Black Country event is a much smaller one for local people, but the one in France will be international with people from across the world."