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Surrey Vintage Vehicle Society caters for veteran cars, vintage cars & classic cars, as well as commercials and motorcycles.

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:: [  Domingo Classico Madeira - City of Machico   ] :: 
Madeira Island

 August
2023

Photos by, and some assembled from local sources by, 
George Layton

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.
 

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