PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s 11th annual Vintage and Classic Car Rally kicked off in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Saturday, where autos from as far back as the 1930’s-- from Mercedes to Ford and Chevrolet-- were on full display before revving up for their journey through different parts of the country.

The car rally, with 50 vintage autos will be touring through Multan, Lahore, Kashmir, the Galiyat, and end up at Khanpur, a scenic town on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad. It is organized by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority in association with Land Rover.

“The cars are amazing,” Peshawar-based visitor, Arosh, who was at the sunny afternoon event alongside her family, told Arab News.
“The show is colorful and people from all over the country are here. We saw BMW, Mercedes, Ford Wagon and other decades’ old model cars,” she said.

Traditional dancers and musicians performed at the weekend event, as families and car enthusiasts strolled around the valuable autos taking photos and speaking to the owners.

Abid Majeed, secretary for sports, tourism, culture and youth affairs, said the rally took place in a bid to boost tourism in the region.

“The provincial government has decided to start work to build four integrated tourism zones in the province,” he said. 
Asim Durrani, CEO of Land Rover, said the show, which included guests every year from Lahore, Islamabad and elsewhere, was a local tourist attraction. 
“Every year, we invite owners of vintage and classic cars including Ford, Mercedes, BMW and Chevrolet to take part in this event... with cars as old as from 1930 to 1970,” he said.