Riviera Classic Car Show

We have just had another very successful Riviera Classic Car Show with hundreds of cars, commercials and scooters on Paignton green right beside the sea.Pedestrian visitors could look at a huge range of entries from a 1933 Lanchester A10 to a 2024 self built Morgan 3 Wheeler, Mustangs, Morrises, Mercedes, MGs, Mazdas, Morgans and a Mercury Grand Marquess not to forget the Torbay Mods with their Vespas & Lambrettas and so many more besides. Something for everyone!

About the Club

We are an active group based in Torbay, Devon. Torbay Old Wheels Club was founded in 1992 by a small group of friends interested in preserving and using older vehicles. In 2019 we were voted one of the Top Ten UK classic car clubs by readers of Practical Classics magazine. We have a popular Facebook page here and members can also chat together on their own private page.Our next Club meeting will be the AGM at 7.15 pm on Thursday 27th November at the Esplanade Hotel on Paignton seafront, corner of Sands Road. Meetings are usually on the last THURSDAY of the month. Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome.

Member's Car of the Month

Mark Harvey
Hi, I am an Australian made Chrysler Regal, that was assembled in the Todd Motors factory in Tauranga, New Zealand in 1977. I am part of the Chrysler Valiant CL series, of which 32,672 were built from 1976 until production ceased in 1978. Like my American Chrysler cousins, I was made for the long open roads, but with a distinctly Australian design, & we were exported to New Zealand and South Africa for local assembly. The Chrysler Regal SE was a luxury car. It was the top-of-the-line Regal offering & was known for its comfortable and luxurious features, including power steering, vinyl roof, air-conditioning, power windows (not me), & a push-button radio with cassette player.
When I first hit the road in 1977, I had a 245ci (4.0 litre) Hemi straight-six engine, while it was a good, reliable engine that was relatively fuel efficient it was a bit underpowered for my size. My previous owner replaced my engine with a ‘worked’ Chrysler 360ci (5.9 litre) V8 engine & Holley 780 CFM carburettor in 2005. I was able to keep my original Torqueflite Trimatic transmission, designed to handle a bigger engine, but had my differential uprated to a Ford 9” Diff, allowing me to generate up to 400 horsepower.My current owner purchased me in 2008, & I had a full strip down & ground up rebuild in 2023 – 2024. So now I have a new paint job (I used to be a nice maroon colour) & I had completely new interior upholstery & dashboard, linings, carpets & new vinyl roof. I arrived in the UK in 2025 &, as far as I know, I’m the only one in the country.
I like being here in the UK, the climate is good for me & the roads are nice, though can be a little tight sometimes. I hope you enjoyed seeing me, & if you have any questions, please speak to my owner (he loves talking about me).

Name that Car

Mouse over the images for the answers. Keep checking back as the pictures will be changed at intervals.Picture quiz kindly supplied by Adrian Gridley.

Classic car show awards 2025

This year the Riviera classic car show awards were presented by Pat Sharp who is a radio presenter, television presenter and DJ. He is best known for working on the children's ITV programme Fun House. He has also worked on BBC Radio 1, Capital FM, Heart and Greatest Hits Radio.

Lady's Mile Classic Car Show 2025

For most, Lady's Mile at Dawlish is the last show of the season. After a cold start it soon became a warm sunny day with loads of interesting cars to drool over. Here are a few of the cars photographed by Sarah SJ Day.

TOWC cheque presentations 2025

This year TOWC donated £6000 from their Riviera Classic Car Show to local charities with £2000 going to Rowcroft Hospice, £2000 to Devon Air Ambulance and £2000 to the Carnival local charities. The cheque presentation took place at the club meeting on 23rd October 2025.

The History of the Show

The Torbay Old Wheels Club organises the Riviera Classic Car Show in late July every year on the first Sunday of the Torbay Community Carnival, which lasts for 9 days. The show was first held in 1994 and raises funds for local charities. The total amount raised so far is over £70,000.

For Visitors

The show is open to pedestrian visitors from 10AM to 4:30PM. Gate receipts contribute to the total amount donated to local good causes. Entry is by donation of £3.00 for adults. Accompanied children under 12 are free.

For Exhibiotrs

We can fit in almost 400 vehicles, but the show's popularity means it's always over-subscribed.

For Traders

The Torbay Old Wheels Club organises just the vehicle display at the show. For all enquiries regarding trade or catering outlets and sponsorship opportunities please contact the Paignton Festival chairman, Mike Bailey.

For the Press

The Riviera Classic Car Show is a major event in the area with many photo opportunities.

Contact Us

If you would like to make contact with us, whether prospective member or press, you can email us at [email protected] or using the form below.

Privacy Notice

1: Scope of this Privacy Notice
Torbay Old Wheels Club ("the club") maintains this website to provide information about the club to members, and anyone else interested in historic vehicles.This privacy notice sets out how the club uses and protects any information that you provide to us and what happens to any personal data that you give to us. This may be provided electronically, by mail or by phone.From time to time, the club may make changes to this privacy notice by updating this page. This may be in order to comply with changes in the law or to update our own privacy practices. We recommend that you check this privacy notice for updates whenever you visit our website.Visitors to our website are deemed to have accepted this policy by continuing to use this site.

2: What personal information might we process?
The club does not proactively collect or store any personal information about visitors to the website, apart from IP addresses and visitor counts. Data that you provide to us in order to engage with the club is the only personal information we process and this is handled in compliance with Data Protection legislation and the 2018 GDPR.This data may include full name(s), email and/or postal address, telephone numbers and vehicle details (make, model, year, registration number). Occasionally we might ask if you would participate in feedback surveys to help us improve our events.

3: How do we use your personal data?
The club uses personal data to enable us to contact members on club affairs, contact event applicants regarding ticketing and operation, regulate valid entry to club events and improve our operations.Please note: photographs of your vehicle at our events, which may include the registration plate, may be used in media reporting, publicity or posted online. This includes use in promoting the club within the classic car community and our local area.No other personal details are shared outside of the club unless we are legally obliged to do so. Your data is not transferred to anywhere outside of the UK by the club.We are not responsible for any data that may be collected by external websites to which we offer links.

4: How and when can you withdraw your consent?
We are relying upon your consent to process personal data to manage your participation in club events. If you wish to discuss our Data Protection policy, please contact us.

5: Retention of your personal information
Personal data may be retained on file for a period of up to 8 years after your last interaction with the club. Photographs may be retained indefinitely in the club history archive.