MORE than 1,000 classic cars and 300 commercial vehicles delighted visitors to this year's KM Motoring Pageant held at the Hop Farm Country Park at Beltring, near East Peckham, at the weekend.

The event, which featured a vast array of trucks, lorries, buses and construction vehicles, as well as cars, is believed to have attracted around 25,000 people over the two days.

Arena attractions over the weekend included stunt displays from Moto Stunts International - a jeep, quad and motorcycle display team.

The team, which has broken five world records since its inception in 1977, delighted the crowds over the weekend.

There was also a parade of commercial vehicles, a display of heavy haulage vehicles, and crane and tank recovery demonstrations in the main arena.

One of the most popular vehicles with visitors was a 1991 Chevy Caprice NYPD police car owned by Adam Montague from Sevenoaks.

The car had been shipped from New York to Cambridgeshire where it was used on a US airbase before being bought at auction by a film company which used it in the film Daylight starring Sylvester Stalone.

When the company sold the car three years ago Mr Montague was first in line.

A Formula 1 Ferrari which won the German and Canadian Grand Prix in 1985 also proved popular, as did replicas of the Flinstones and Mr Bean's car with children.

This year's Motoring Pageant, the fourth to be held, also saw the London Motorcycle Museum bring some motorcycling history to the occasion. pageant.

Star of its show was a 1902 Ormonde (cor) built at High Holborn using small Kelecom and Antoine engines.

It was bought in the 1940s for 7s 6d(37.5p) by Brigadier de Vere Benne, who made several attempts at The Old Crocks Run (later to become the Pioneer Run) from Epsom to Brighton. But he never got far due to several mechanical and electrical failures.

However, he successfully completed the Pioneer Run from London to Brighton in 1951, though the carburettor fell to bits at the end.

Also on show was a was a 1919 Triumph Model H - the same models used by Allied despatch riders in the mud and shellfire of the First world War - and a 1965 Triumph 6T Metropolitan Police bike.

Event manager Abby Brindley said: "It has been a very successful weekend and everyone has enjoyed themselves.

"The weather was a bit showery but we have been very busy and we had more classic cars on display than ever before."