WHILE the Gnoo Blas Classic Car Show is known for its Earth-bound vehicles, spectators will also have plenty to see overhead on Saturday from 10am.
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An Air Force C-130J Hercules transport aircraft will visit Orange as part of wider training for No 285 Squadron.
It will fly past Sir Jack Brabham Park at 11am and 1pm at an altitude of just 75 metres and among the pilots will be Flight Lieutenant Justin Della Bosca, a former Orange resident.
The Hercules might be a first for Gnoo Blas, but the anticipated rivalry between the Holdens and Fords will be the last before Holden ceases manufacturing in Australia later this year.
Ford withdrew its manufacturing in October.
Club members Greg Harvey and John Swadling will be among those to display their beloved cars.
Mr Harvey will bring the 1952 Holden FX he bought as a shell 22 years ago and rebuilt.
In its day, it retailed for about 300 pounds.
“They’re built to perfection compared to the later models – the shape’s nice and it performs really well,” he said.
John Swadling has an immaculate 1978 Ford Cobra he thinks would see off a Holden with its iconic blue racing stripes.
Sold for $9000 new, the car is expected to be worth about $100,000 today.
“It’s a V8 and it’s the last of what they call the two-door Falcons,” he said.
“I’m just a Ford lover and my family was always into Fords.”
Mr Harvey said the event attracted 540 entrants last year,
“We try to beat it every year,” he said.
The Holden camp will be strengthened by the appearance at the show of Holden race driver Phil Brock, brother of the late Peter Brock, supported by a contingent of members from the Torana GTR XU1 club.
Former Australian Gold Star champion Spencer Martin will also be in the Holden camp despite arriving in a rare Mercedes Maybach.
New-era Ford owners will bring a fleet of the latest imported Ford Mustangs and the iconic GT Falcons.
The NSW Volvo Club will be on the sidelines with 15 cars representing all models in the range, starting from James Bond’s S30.
Keeping them on the straight and narrow will be a display of police Highway Patrol cars, one of them a BT1 Holden Commodore and the other a XR8 Ford Falcon.
There will also be a display of cars from the late Brian Keegan, who built and raced drag cars, hill climb cars and open-wheel race cars.
There will be 18 categories for judging including car of the show, best street car, best local car, best truck, best ute, best clunker, best barn find, best motorcycle and best club display.