LOCKDOWN has clearly only fired up the ardour of Hampshire’s classic car lovers.

Over 700 of them - including dozens of families - spent Saturday munching on bacon butties as they drooled over a plethora of rare and pricey vehicles, all buffed to perfection.

Among the cars on show at Winchester’s Auto Barn were a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, a 1974 Alfa Romeo GTV2000 and a pre-war Riley.

Financial services headhunter Andrew Webb relished the chance to get together with fellow petrol heads once more.

“This is one of those relaxed meets where you can approach people, have a good chat and talk about their cars.

“I feel lucky that we’ve got this sort of thing near Winchester. It’s not often you get a collection of cars like this outside London or a major event.”

The mingling crowd would pause when a rare beauty arrived, before reaching for their cameras or gently mobbing the owner.

Catering for this latest gathering at the garage just outside Sutton Scotney received a fillip with the addition of a 1960 ice cream trailer, affectionately dubbed Miss Whippy.

Nine members of the Ford GT40 Enthusiasts Club travelled from as far away as Essex to attend.

“Our cars have received a lot of admiration!” beamed chairman Belinda Wheelwright.

“This is the lifeblood of what we do. We do the big events but it’s great to come out and support local independent businesses like this as well.”

Now that lockdown has been lifted, Auto Barn owner Niall Holden hopes to hold the meetings regularly once more.

“One of the main reasons I got involved with the garage was to create this motoring community of like-minded tyre-kickers and tea-suppers,” he said.

“Mornings like this fulfil my dream.

“Planning permitting, we’ve got a long way to go with the development of the site. There’s a lot in the pipeline.”

Possible additions to the garage include a tea room filled with retro auto-memorabilia.