Classic car enthusiasts, collectors and lovers of motoring culture gathered in Lagos on October 1 to celebrate a decade of the Classic Car Club of Nigeria, using a display of vintage automobiles to reconnect generations with the city’s motoring history.

The 10th anniversary event, tagged Nostalgic Lagos, was held in partnership with the Lagos Polo Club and featured classic vehicles spanning several decades, including cars from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

The event brought together collectors, families, creatives and motoring enthusiasts, with organisers using the vehicles and images of old Lagos to recreate memories of a city where owning certain cars was once regarded as a strong symbol of status.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the club, Dapo Otunla, said the preservation of classic vehicles demonstrated that Nigerians could maintain valuable possessions when they attached sufficient importance to them.

“People tend to say Nigerians don’t have a maintenance culture. But we say within the club, if you value something, you will look after it, you will maintain it,” Otunla said.

According to him, the club’s collection demonstrates how automotive preservation can keep history alive, with some of the vehicles still being maintained decades after they first appeared on Nigerian roads.

He recalled an earlier club event where an 85-year-old man and his 83-year-old wife sat in a Peugeot 404, which triggered an emotional reaction in the man because it was the first car he drove while courting his wife.

Also speaking, lead partner of CMC Connect LLP, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, a sponsor of the event and classic-car collector, said his passion for vintage vehicles was driven largely by their history.

He said collectors often source vehicles through specialised networks, online platforms and word of mouth, particularly when searching for specific models from particular periods.

Ayo Soyinka, who owns a 1977 Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet and a 1975 Beetle, said owning classic cars was an emotional experience because of their unpredictability and mechanical character.

Soyinka said he had owned the vehicles for about six years and enjoyed the contrast between driving a modern vehicle during the week and taking a classic car out at weekends.