CAR SHOW 2014

Malahide Lions Club are indebted to Matt Ryan of the Grand Hotel for hosting our 3rd Classic & Vintage Show in the grounds of The Grand Hotel.

One of the stars of the show was a fully-working exact replica of the world's first motor car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen from 1886. The vehicle is currently owned by Motor Distributors Limited, concessionaires for Mercedes-Benz in Ireland. This specific car was engineered by apprentices at the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart to mark the centenary of the motorcar.

Malahide Lions Club combined forces with the Grand Hotel Malahide to host the 3rd Annual Malahide Classic & Vintage Motor Show on Sunday 18th May to raise funds for St. Francis Hospice and other Lions causes. Despite a poor weather forecast the rain held off long enough for 100 magnificent classic and vintage cars to arrive on the day from all over Dublin and the wider Leinster region. The top- class facilities of the Grand Hotel were really appreciated by the car owners, who were treated to a sit-down lunch, and by visitors to the Show who could shelter from the showers and hear comedy star June Rodgers declare the Show officially open, in her own inimitable way!. Musical entertainment was provided by the smooth performing duo “In Harmony”. A fantastic day was enjoyed by the drivers and by the 1,500 or so visitors and around €5,000 was raised for St. Francis Hospice and other causes. Sincere thanks go to Matt Ryan and the Grand Hotel team for the excellent service and facilities and to First Ireland Insurance for providing the financial sponsorship to make it all happen. This, our flagship project, is now a firm fixture in the Lions calendar and the wider classic car scene.

Of course, the Grand Hotel has been involved in motoring in Ireland from the very beginning.

"Dr. John Fallon Sidney Colohan bought the Grand Hotel in 1910, for £10,000. Dr. Colohan was the pioneer of motoring in Ireland and was recognised as a leading motor expert. In 1898 he imported the first petrol driven car into Ireland. In 1902 his Daimler Car was admitted to be the smartest and fastest of its type in Dublin.The Benz Comfortable was the first motor car he imported into Ireland and it has been featured in the Irish Motor Classic Stamps, issued in April 1989. Dr. Colophon's Benz has survived and in 1985 it was purchased by Denis Dowdall of Irish Motor Distributors and fully restored."
(Courtesy of Malahide Historical Society.)