I Saw Two of My Cars in Pontevedra

by Felix Wong | 01 Sep 2024

On the first of September and completely unbeknownst to us beforehand, Pontevedra was a hub of vintage car enthusiasts. By sheer luck, we found ourselves right in the middle of it. Andrea and I were giving our friend Eddie from Boulder, Colorado, a tour of the city, taking in the charm of Pontevedra’s historic streets and plazas. As we approached the Ayuntamiento, something unusual caught my eye—a few firetrucks parked in the plaza next to the city hall. Curious, I wondered aloud, “What is going on here?”

As we got closer, the answer became clear. Among the firetrucks was a gleaming white Lincoln Continental coupe from the 1970s, surrounded by a lineup of pristine vintage European cars. A whole row of Volkswagen Beetles, Alfa Romeos, and SEATs were on display, and I quickly realized we had stumbled upon a car show. In fact, it was the VI Concentración Vehículos Clásicos e Antigos en Pontevedra. What luck!

For a car enthusiast like me, this was an unexpected treat. Walking through the rows of classic cars, I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me. In the last row, a particularly special car caught my attention—a Pale Primrose Yellow MGB with a “yawning” (or “fishmouth”) grill and wire wheels. It reminded me so much of the 1969 MGB I owned during my university days and for many years afterward. The differences were subtle: this one lacked the side mirror on the right front fender and a rear luggage rack, and it featured tan seats and a different custom dashboard.

Still, it was eerily similar to the one I had driven so many miles in:

Remarkably, I had seen this very car two years earlier while walking to Mercadona, my favorite grocery store chain in Spain:

Two cars down from the MGB sat another blast from my past—a white Porsche 944 Turbo. It was the spitting image of the 1986 model I had for a brief, exhilarating year.

“This was the most practical car I’ve ever owned,” I told Andrea and Eddie, “except for the PT Cruiser that I really liked.” To think that two cars parked within 50 square meters of each other in Pontevedra were identical to ones I once owned simultaneously when living in California—it was a surreal experience.

The surprises didn’t end there. In the same row, we came across a black Alfa Romeo Spider:

Although it was a few years older than my former 1991 Foglio Green Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce, it still brought back memories of the open roads and the joy of driving a car that was as stylish as it was fun to drive.

A couple of rows over, we spotted a first-generation Ford Mustang coupe that looked strikingly similar to my dad’s old car—one he drove from Ontario, Canada to Los Angeles—albeit in a (perhaps non-original) metallic light blue instead of Wimbleton White.

It even had the familiar fake twin-gill side intakes, a design feature exclusive to 1967 models that evolved from—and later, to—the iconic “hockey puck” element that are characteristic of Mustangs up to the 2013 models.

Speaking of my dad’s cars, there was also a black Mercedes 190E that stirred up memories. If my memory serves me right, it closely resembled the Mercedes he drove in the 1990s, though he may have had the larger 300E instead. Those two models look so similar that I might be mixing them up, but seeing that car brought back memories nonetheless.

While German and British cars were well-represented, the show was dominated by SEATs. From compact models to larger sedans, SEAT had a strong presence, highlighting its importance in the Spanish automotive scene.

The show was an unexpected delight, filled with cars that connected me to my past in surprising ways. Seeing vehicles that mirrored those I once owned, alongside cars that reminded me of family, made this a memorable day. Check out the photos below and a video posted by La Voz de Galicia for more glimpses of this fantastic event.

It turns out our casual tour of Pontevedra became a journey down memory lane, all thanks to the VI Concentración Vehículos Clásicos e Antigos. What a day to remember!