The Parkes Antique Motor Club is getting together with the Parkes community to 'Relive Our Motoring Past' (ROMP) on Sunday, May 19 as part of Australia's National Motoring Heritage Day.
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The members will be joining with more than 1000 similar clubs throughout Australia in presenting glimpses of our motoring heritage to the community.
National Motoring Heritage Day is celebrated across Australia on the third Sunday in May each year.
It is a recognition of the significant role that motoring has played in the development of Australia, and an opportunity to showcase some of the achievements the automotive industry has made over more than a century.
The objective is to have as many heritage motor vehicles on the road or on display across the country as possible.
Although motor vehicles were imported into Australia from the beginning of the 20th Century, motor body building did not begin as a significant industry until 1917. This was only due to a government-imposed restriction on imported vehicles resulting from Australia's commitment to The Great War.
From 1917 until after World War II, the industry was required to import only one complete car to each two chassis, and by 1938, the number of complete cars imported into Australia was negligible.
Large scale motor body production is regarded to have commenced in 1917, when Cheney's Motors of Adelaide contracted Holdens to provide 5000 bodies for Dodge and Buick Chassis.
In 1928, Holdens Motor Body Builders produced almost 35,000 bodies for a wide range of cars - 3,000 more than the number of Commodores produced in 2012!
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The Australian content of a 1928 Chevrolet Tourer was 65 per cent, whilst that of the last 'Australian' Commodore was less than 50 per cent.
The Parkes club's motor vehicle display on the lawns at the Henry Parkes Centre will commence at 10am this Sunday and conclude at 3.00pm.
Clubs from Orange, Dubbo and Condobolin will also join in the display, and members will be on hand to talk about their particular vehicles, Australia's motoring heritage and the pleasures of belonging to a heritage motoring club.
The club will also have a project on display to showcase some of the skills involved in vehicle restoration.
There will also be free entry to Greg Page's Elvis Collection and the Parkes Motor Museum.
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