MORE than 500 cars turned out for the annual Gnoo Blas Classic Car Show, with thousands of spectators going through the gate in what organisers have hailed as a record-breaking year.
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Gnoo Blas Classic Car Club member Denis Gregory said the running of the day exceeded all expectations, with last year's car numbers at 320.
"It was great," he said.
"I think the fact is that people come to enjoy it and then they go to their car club and say this is a great show and then you get 10 or 12 next time.
"The NRMA Classic Car Club brought 31 cars and that's the first time they came."
He said the dinner on Saturday night and the group drive and picnic on Sunday also added to the appeal.
"We do that deliberately to make it a weekend. The drive around Mount Canobolas takes in the most scenic parts of Orange and some of the most scenic parts of NSW," he said.
The event also attracted some of the biggest names in motorsport.
Bill Buckle OAM brought his Buckle Coupe, which went on to hold every GT-class lap record on Australia's east coast, including Gnoo Blas.
Sir Jack Brabham borrowed one of the lightweight models to race in the 1959 South Pacific Sports Car Championship at the Orange circuit.
"My contemporaries at the time were things like Austin Healey and MG and I wanted to build something better," Mr Bucklesaid.
Another link to Brabham came in the form of Ron Tauranac AO, who designed the 1966 Brabham BT19, which Brabham won three Formula One championships in.
He said hard work was the secret to a good F1 car and Brabham was a good partner.
"He gave the best feedback on how the car was handling and, because of his financial interests, he never drove the car harder than necessary to get the position he thought he could get," he said.
Volvo Polestar Racing team owner Garry Rogers said he was impressed by the family atmosphere at the event and while his work lay in V8 Supercars, he also appreciated the classics, with his all-time favourite a 1932 Ford B roadster.
"The 50s and 60s, the cars and music of that era, had something special in my opinion," he said.
danielle.cetinski@fairfaxmedia.com.au