Under the Bonnet - The Bay to Birdwood
Sep 20, 2021 6:30 PM
Michael Neale
Under the Bonnet - The Bay to Birdwood

The Bay to Birdwood is one of the world’s great historic motoring events and is the largest continually-held motoring event for veteran, vintage and classic vehicles anywhere in the world. It is an event that truly has no age limit, boasting a reach across a broad demographic.

The Bay to Birdwood is a vehicle run held annually. Historic motorcars, motorcycles, and commercial vehicles travel the 70 km route from the coastal suburb of West Beach to the National Motor Museum in the Adelaide Hills town of Birdwood. With a history spanning back to 1980, the Bay to Birdwood is a well-known and highly respected historic motoring event that brings the community and the citizen-collectors from across the globe together for a celebration.

There are two Bay to Birdwood events: the Run is held on even-numbered years and the Classic on odd-numbered years. The Run is an event for vehicles manufactured up to 31 December 1959 and is held in ‘even’ numbered years ie. 2020, 2022, 2024 etc. The Classic is an event for vehicles manufactured between 1 January 1956 to 31 December 1986, held in ‘odd’ numbered years ie. 2019, 2021, 2023 etc.

The Bay to Birdwood is a community event – from the five thousand participants in entrant vehicles – to the hundreds of volunteers – right through to the tens of thousands of spectators lining the route to watch this historic motoring cavalcade as it travels through metropolitan Adelaide and the Hills. At the National Motor Museum Finish motor enthusiasts and spectators enjoy an afternoon of displays, entertainment and the very popular judging of the Concours d’Elegance and Preservation Award vehicles. The South Australian community has truly embraced the event with their continued support on the last Sunday in September each year.