Inguanez Cadillac's centenary

Last Thursday a unique centenary was celebrated: the first time in Maltese motoring history that a car was a hundred years old.

The Inguanez Cadillac's centenary was celebrated with a run starting at the Malta Hilton and finishing in Mdina and, in the evening, with a reception, hosted by the Tumas Group at Portomaso.

It was on July 15, 1904, that this car left the factory in Detroit. The run on Thursday took 61 cars, members of the Old Motors Club, led by the Cadillac, on a route through Sliema, Hamrun and on to Mdina to the garage where it spent 65 years of its life.

Stops will be made along the way at leading motoring establishments, including: Muscats Garage, Continental Cars, Frank Borda Gala Centre, Mizzi House Industrial Motors, Ucim co, Methode Electronics Malta Ltd, Fmc Motors, Mira Motor Sales (General Motors and Chevrolet agents), Gasan Automotive and Easysell (Kia) Malta Ltd.

The cars were put on display in St Paul Square, Mdina for a couple of hours, enabling tourists, foreign visitors, journalists and VIPs to admire the cars. Miss Gibraltar, Kim Falzun, a descendant of a Maltese migrant to Gibraltar in the 1860s was in the car driven by David Arrigo.

British motoring journalists, and Yvette Zarb from the Gibraltar Tourist Authority were also present.

During the reception at Portomaso Mr Arrigo launched the book The Inguanez Cadillac Malta's One Hundred-Year-Old Car and a painting by Debbie Caruana Dingli, with a hundred signed limited edition prints on sale for the benefit if the SPCA.

Lord Montagu of Beaulieu sent a goodwill message:

"Today, July 15, 2004, it is my privilege to offer my congratulations to the 'Inguanez Cadillac' on her 100th birthday, and to deliver this general message of goodwill to the motoring industry of Malta.

"Malta, with its sense of history and heritage is a splendid example of the care and attention lavished on motor vehicles by Maltese car owners and its motoring fraternity.

"The hobby of collecting veteran and vintage vehicles is growing year by year, all over the world. Malta is most welcome to our ranks and long may your passion survive."