Each meticulously restored car and motorbike, each customised Harley or hot rod at Maitland Motorfest has a story to tell.
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But they were all trumped by former Speedway sidecar passenger Cliff Fitzpatrick who actually raced at the Maitland Showground before speedway moved from the track in 1952.
Cliff spoke of the golden era and eventual demise of Maitland speedway sitting astride one his son Terry’s magnificently presented speedway bikes.
The brass and chrome finished ESO framed bike is powered by a fully operation JAP engine.
“You’ll see a lot of JAP engines in Terry’s display, that’s down to me. I was a big fan of the engines,” Cliff who was passenger for Jimmy Davies from 1950 to 1952.
“I blew my engine and I was lucky enough for Jimmy to offer me a spot on his bike as passenger.
“The bikes have changed over the years, but in terms of speed and reliability a lot of the older bikes would still take some beating.
“There were some amazing riders in the hey day, Paddy Dean set a record of 25.25 seconds in 1930 for a lap at Maitland Showground which survived until the 1950s.
“It was coming to its end in the early 1950s and the last meeting was held at Maitland Showground in 1952.
“I bought a bike that night thinking I’d race it the next year, but never got to use it.”
Across at the car section there were plenty of hot rods, massive American classics from the 1950s through to the 1970s and classic Aussie Holdens and Fords.
Les Hall’s beautiful 1961 EK Holden is fully original apart from a restored engine and one of the most sought after models from the manufacturer who finished production in Australia on Friday.
“It’s sad from the car industry’s perspective, but from a collector’s point of view it’s going to be a boon for Holden people,” Les said of the end of Holden in Australia.
“The EK and FB are expected to double value in five years and triple in 10 years. Mine’s not for sale this is a legacy for the kids.”
Rick Parson’s 1969 Dodge Dart is also a blast from the past when Chrysler was an Australian manufacturer.
“I bought this 30 years ago when I was 21. It is one of seven right-hand drive cars they built for the Australian market,” he said.
