A Cadillac once owned by the Prime Minister of Kuwait is set to be the star of the show at this year’s Millport Classic Car Show.

The popular island attraction returns on Saturday, May 13 in the grounds of Garrison House, with more than 150 vehicles due to hop across the water for the display.

This year’s event is set to be bigger and better than ever, with free attractions the following day to encourage visitors to stay on the island a bit longer.

Islander Ross Newton, who organises the show with sister Lynne and dad Jimmy, hopes the eighth year of the show can be the best yet.

He said: “This time we want to give people a right good weekend of fun, so we’ve got the cars packed out to capacity in the Garrison grounds.

“Some highlights include a 1969 E-type Jaguar, about 20 Ford Capris, a Ford model A Tudor Hot Rod from 1928, and even a Cadillac Eldorado previously owned by the Prime Minister of Kuwait.

“We started off almost a decade ago with just 12 cars, but it has grown into this huge event that the whole family can enjoy.

“We have three generations that come along, with the older ones loving the vintage stuff and the younger visitors enjoying the modern classics more.”

This year, several events have been planned around the car show to try and encourage visitors to stay on the island across the weekend.

A Rock 'n' Roll dance party will take place in the Newton Bar on the Saturday night from 8.45pm, with prizes for best costume, best jive and winners of the quiz.

Ross, who also runs the Garrison funfair, is making the attractions free on the Sunday to celebrate the fair’s 50th anniversary.

He explained: “My family has now been running the fair for five decades which is a milestone we wanted to celebrate.

“As a way to give back to the community, all rides at the fair as well as the crazy golf across the road will be free of charge.

“Hopefully it will encourage visitors to come for the second day which would mean a lot to us here on the island as well as the businesses.

“We don’t want people coming for just a few hours, we want them to make a weekend out of the classic car show.”

Ross is hoping the car show can kick off a year of success for the island, which he insists is open for business despite ongoing major works as part of the flood defence scheme.

He added: “We have the classic car and then the Millport Ten Miler in May, so they both kick off the tourist season very well.

“We’ve lost the country and western weekend for this year, so these other events are now more important than ever.

“It’s vital to emphasise that Millport is still open for business, there are only parts of the promenade that are inaccessible, and there are still plenty of areas to walk and park.

“It won’t affect anything where all the events are going on at Garrison House, so come on over and enjoy yourself.”

The classic car show will run from 10am until 4pm on Saturday, May 13, and for full details go to www.millportclassiccarevent.com.