GLEAMING chrome and steel stood out in the sunshine of historic Ragley Hall last weekend.

Thousands of visitors padded around the lawns of the stately home to take a look at some of the latest models to hit the road and some classics from the past as well.

Motorshow 2001, which was sponsored by the Redditch Advertiser, the Evesham Journal, the Cotswold Journal and the Stratford Journal, was a great chance for car lovers to coo and purr over the offerings from dozens of dealerships across the region. Those whose interests hark back to the motoring days of yore also had plenty to interest them in the shape of a classic car show. The event was organised by Specialist Car Shows of Bournemouth and sales director Clive Bravington was delighted with its success.

"It went brilliantly," he said. "Everybody was a little unsure what to expect, but we had about 6,000 people through the show.

"It was lovely weather and it was quite a nice experience all round."