A RETRO car meeting to celebrate a love of vintage Fords was hailed a success after its first event at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn.

Andy Ellis has been organising retro Ford meets for the last ten years, initially at the Scotch Corner Hotel, then at Leeming Lodge until the A1 upgrade works prevented it this year.

On Sunday, April 12 the event was held at the auction mart’s new Garden Rooms and despite the wet weather, turnout was good with about 120 visitors attending.

Mr Ellis said: “We allow all ages of Fords to come along but our special interest is in the classics.

“We are a relaxed, friendly club and want to include anyone who wants to come along.

“It is the first time we held the event at Tennants and it was fantastic – we are going to make that our regular venue from now on.”

A star exhibit at the show was a 1969 Ford Mustang GT, on loan from RMB Ford, Northallerton, where Mr Ellis works.

He added: “We are grateful to have been able to exhibit the Mustang as it was a real draw.

“It is similar to the cars that featured in film Gone in 60 Seconds – it is a very rare piece of kit.

“Now we have a prominent base we can look to improving the event for next year, hopefully putting on a barbecue, and attracting some more visitors.”

Mr Ellis said he would like to thank Rodney Tennant for allowing him to host the event at the venue.

For more information on upcoming Retro Ford events visit Leeming Lodge Classic Ford Meet on Facebook.