CLASSIC car enthusiasts are revving up for an annual motoring festival at Tewkesbury which will be really taking off this year.

The Midlands Air Ambulance Charity will use the Tewkesbury Classic Vehicle Festival, being staged on Sunday August 23 at the 54-acre Tewkesbury School playing fields, as its base for the day – responding to calls and returning as and when it is needed for emergency airlifts.

The gates open at 11 am and there will be more than 500 cars and 150 bikes spanning over 100 years on show – a large number of those will be vintage and veteran vehicles.

Last year the classic Jenson Healey, Phantom Rolls Royce, Ulster Aston Martin, Bugatti, Peterson Bentley, De Lorean and an original ex Le Mans MGA models were on show to transport visitors to a bygone golden age of motoring.

The most valuable model being exhibited will be an ex Tazio Nuvolari 1936 Tipo B Alfa Romeo straight 8 supercharged Grand Prix Car, valued at £2.25 million.

While there will be a 1933 Rolls Royce Phantom 1 which has been re-united with the son of the original owner after 75 years!

Classic car owners can turn up of the day with their treasured motors and enter free of charge and display them at the festival. Organisers are hoping owners will turn up with their prized road-going, race and rally classics. All passengers and visitors pay £5 while children under 12 years enter free of charge.

There will be around 100 stalls selling everything from gaskets to gooseberry jam, an autojumble and stalls selling tools and gifts.

A range of entertainment to create a carnival atmosphere for all the family to enjoy has been planned. London’s top close harmony trio the Haywood Sisters – Georgi Wooderson, Kathryn Ryan and Lauren Woolf – will be providing their own brand of nostalgia.

Inspired by The Andrews Sisters, they’ve taken the UK by storm performing hits by girl groups such as The Shirelles, The Boswell Sisters and The Ronettes.

They hit the airwaves regularly, singing jingles for radio stations such as Jazz FM and have performed all over the world for clients in Europe and Asia.

The organisers are also expecting racing driver Barry “Whizzo” Williams to attend and people will have a chance to talk to him about his competition adventures in the past. Barry has been competing in races, rallies and hill climbs for many years and is a great raconteur.

The festival will have a special section devoted to classic competition cars and the organisers hope he will bring along his famous Mini.

There will also be a range of refreshments from which to choose – teas, cakes and Pimms, bbq food and a licensed bar.

All the proceeds from the event will go to support Rotary Club charities including the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, the Nepalese earthquake disaster and a number of local projects.

The festival closes at 5pm.