Historic Winton returns in 2014

Historic Winton – now in its 38th year – is more than just a visual feast.

The other senses are well catered for too: the smell of burning brakes, rubber and possibly even Castrol R complemented by the basso profundo sounds of long-stroke big bangers and the scream of thoroughbred racing engines. If you're lucky, maybe the loving owner will even let you caress his or her pride and joy.

Unlike a concours or a conventional classic car show, the cars and bikes at Historic Winton are there to be driven – and raced. This event is one of just a few on the calendar where the oldies-but-goodies are given a devil-may-care flogging around a racetrack, against competitive vehicles of equal or even greater value.

The event, organised by the Austin 7 Club and the Historic Motorcycle Racing Association of Victoria, combines a traditional concours – the 'Classic Car Park' sponsored by Shannons – with a straightforward classic car show and the on-track racing. There's also a 'Show & Shine' outside the nearby Benalla Civic Centre, where a Classic Car and Motorbike Tour concludes.

Event organisers expect over 400 cars and bikes built between the 1920s and the 1980s to turn up for the weekend. Highlights of the weekend include anniversaries for Hispano-Suiza, Rolls-Royce and Rover (110 years), Dodge, Willys-Knight, Aston Martin and Maserati (100 years), Bugatti Type 35 (90 years), Simca (80 years), Borgward Isabella and Ford Thunderbird (60 years), and Ford Mustang and Sunbeam Tiger (50 years).

Admission costs $50 for a weekend pass, $25 for Saturday only, $35 for Sunday, $5 for access to the paddock and children under 16 are free. The event runs over the weekend of May 24 and 25, with further information available from the facebook page, on Twitter or the website