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Madeira is a small Portuguese island in the Atlantic
Ocean, four hours flying time south from London, and two hours due
west out of nearest bit of Africa, - from Casablanca in Morocco. So,
- it is a bit isolated. Funchal Airport is considered one of the
most perilous airports in the world. There is a drop into the sea
either end of the runway; pilots visiting must have special training
in landing. The airport is also renowned from being suddenly closed
due to winds, so the plane has to have spare fuel for a multi-hour
diversion to nearest bit of other land. Population is 250,000,
roughly the size of Milton Keynes.
The island has a very mild climate described as 'eternal spring';
December to April 21C, July to September 26C. Rainfall mainly in
October to April, moderate but frequent, in summer very rare.
North-east Trade winds prevail most of the year. Summer can
experience the Leste hot dry winds and dust from Sahara. Although
not volcanic, the island has that appearance, rising steeply from
the coastline to a high peak in the middle. There is not much flat
ground on the island, its all either up or down.
Despite its small size, Madeira is populated with hundreds of
vintage and classic cars which appear to be quite regularly used.
There is a significant number of car clubs, both one-make and
general. There are frequent car meetings, many being themed with
visits to interesting places, events or establishments like
vineyards. All are well attended. As an example, the annual Madeira
Classic Car Revival in Funchal, the capital, caters for vintage and
pre-1990's vehicles, with over 460 having entered last year. The
island also caters for saloon car racing enthusiasts having local
racing events, - first one held in 1936, and also being part of the
Portuguese season.
There are a number of individual classic car clubs on the island
holding their own events throughout the year. The one described on
this page is the 'DRIVE IT DAY' organised by the Domingo Classico
Madeira car club and hosted by the Council of Machico, a town on the
east coast of the island. This is an annual event which draws-in
some 300 cars and motorcycles. It is based on the British
Drive-it-Day, 'if you have a classic, - use it today'. Like many of
the other events on the island, this meeting is designed to raise
awareness amongst the general public about the importance of
preserving the local cultural heritage which includes vehicles of
historical interest. |