Many car models have been swallowed up by history, never to be seen again.
But yesterday, more than 100 “endangered” vehicles roared into an Aberdeenshire village to celebrate just what made them so popular 40 years ago.
Grampian Transport Museum in Alford hosted the inaugural How Many Left? show, which attracted vehicles from then 1960s until the present day.
About 1,000 motoring enthusiasts attended the event, which celebrated mass-produced vehicles which have “disappeared off the radar”.
According to DVLA criteria, for a car to be considered endangered there must be less than 500 of a specific model left.
Among the motors that took to the museum’s track yesterday was a 1980 Austin Allegro saved from a Kent scrap yard by Edinburgh man Callum Brown.
The “rarest car” nod was given to the owner of a Renault 18 GTD, thought to be the last of its kind.
Organisers were so delighted with the success of the event that they have already pledged to bring it back next year.
Martyn Smith, marketing and events organiser at the museum, said: “We had about 1,000 visitors to the event, it really was a great day. It was just fantastic to see so many of these rare cars getting together.
“A lot of us really felt nostalgic. There was quite a good mix, a really eclectic mix, and the crowd were great, the visitors were generally car enthusiasts. There were all sorts of wonderful cars you just don’t see anymore.
“A 1980 Austin Allegro was given the Spirit of the Event award, another one went to a Ford Fiesta. There was so many cars that were the last of their kind.
“It was generally a fantastic day and the general enthusiasm was wonderful. A lot of these cars have been saved from the crushers.
“There was quite a lot of people from over the north-east of Scotland and people from all over Scotland. We are going to bring it back.”
Visitors got the chance to ride in the passenger seat of some of the cars, and there was also a grand parade to show off the motors.
Mr Smith added: “People always think of a rare car as a Ferrari or a supercar, but Minis and Vauxhalls – these are the cars that most of us share some kind of story with.
“People have got memories of all these cars and the people we spoke to have all left with lots of smiles and lots of memories.”