TRENTON – For the fourth year in a row, drivers got to park beside the airplanes.

While flying them would have been the icing on the cake, the owners of over 100 classic cars got to enjoy the shade the wings provided.

The fourth annual Wings and Wheels Classic Car show sported cars and motorcycles alongside the National Air Force Museum of Canada’s classic planes. Admission to the event was free, and donations could be made to the museum and the Quinte Humane Society, which the museum partnered with in order to put on the show.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to show off their cars,” said Rod Wartman, the secretary-treasurer of the National Air Force Museum of Canada Foundation. “The response we’ve had from the public has been great and it’s wonderful to see so many people out here to see it.”

Wartman added that they chose to partner with the humane society when he and his wife noticed a car show in Centennial Park in support of the organization. After speaking with organizers, Wartman said they should have it at the museum since there was plenty of extra space.

He added that events like the car show help put the museum on the map and allows them to show the public what the museum has to offer.

“About 60 per cent of our money for day to day operations for the museum has to come from the public,” said Wartman. “Without fundraisers like this, the museum wouldn’t be able to exist.”

All donations raised from the show will be split with the Quinte Humane Society. The money will be used in support of museum projects, including the restoration of a World War II Lancaster aircraft and the building of a theatre inside the museum.

Retired mechanic Robert Elford has had his 1955 Restomod Chevrolet for the past 33 years and has put a lot of TLC into it, tweaking things until everything was to his liking.

“It’s a great car to drive,” said Elford. “I had a car like this when I was 17 and it was my favourite car. Back then it was a lot cheaper and the car only cost me $75 to buy. When I bought this one in 1985, the hood ornament alone was $95.”

He added that while everyone kept asking about it, the car was not for sale. Elford attended the car show with his grandson and son-in-law, who was also showing his own classic car.