Not just 10 or 20 vintage cars are flaunted in Algarve, Portugal. Actually, a total of 50 vintage cars rolled into Algarve on Sunday for the annual Vale do Lobo Classics exhibition to the delight of hundreds of aficionados.

Now in its seventh year, the exhibition has gained quite a reputation and one of the highlights at this year’s show was a fully restored Delahaye 135 MS, worth an estimated 400,000 euros, which was a powerful race car and among the fastest in the world in 1938, reported The Resident.

Organized in partnership with the national classic cars association, Clube Português de Automóveis Antigos (CPAA), the vintage car show saw owners and collectors from Portugal and other European countries gathered on the Ocean Golf Course against the breath-taking lake with fountain background.

“All the cars have been carefully restored to their original states and there is something for all tastes,” CPAA President Luís Brito told The Resident.

Most of the cars set off from Vale do Lobo for a parade through Almancil, up to Loulé and back to Vale do Lobo for the prize giving ceremony, the report added. The other cars remained on the golf course throughout the day for spectators to be amazed.

Some of the auto giants that made an impressive participation include Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, MG, and Porsche.

Separately, a new insurance advertisement has got off to a smiling start thanks to South Canterbury car enthusiasts. Fifteen members of the South Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Vintage Car Club provided vintage vehicles for AMI Insurance’s latest commercial, The Timaru Herald reported. The promotion captures the way New Zealanders have ‘smiled’ through situations from the 1920s to the present day.

The commercial starts with a 1920s Oamaru street scene filled with bustling cars and people. Vintage car club member Bill Weir said that many of the group’s members had also starred in the commercial. "A lot of us were driving our cars in the background and they made sure we looked genuine with old costumes, even if we didn’t think we would be seen," he added.

In August, the group was approached by the company to find automobiles for the ad. "The phone rang off the hook. Everyone wanted to be a part of it and it was a fantastic day to see how things worked when filming," Weir said.

The Weirs also supplied a 1940s tractor and plough. "We were a one stop shop really," he said. Weir was also impressed with the effort involved in making the scenes pretty close to the genuine. "They put down grit on the road to cover the tarmac and re-create the street surface of the 1920s."

“The experience had been one club members would not forget,” Weir concluded. "I’m sure we were all glued to the TV on Sunday night. It was fascinating to watch."