"The Bay to Birdwood Run was first held in 1980 when the Federation of Historic Motoring Clubs invited SAS Channel Ten and the National Motor Museum to join in developing an event to commemorate the issuing of the first South Australian driver's licence to Dr William A. Hargreaves back in 1906.
The original agreed concept was a biennial run for pre-1950 vehicles from Glenelg (fondly known as "the Bay") to the National Motor Museum in Birdwood.
By 1990 the Run had established itself as Australia's premier historic motoring event and had earned Australia wide recognition by winning the National Tourism Award as the best special event or festival staged in Australia.
The Run is the largest most continually staged historic motoring event held anywhere in the world. Vehicles must be pre-1956 and meet entry criteria.
Australia, because of the survival rate of old vehicles, has become internationally recognised as one of the world's major storehouses of historic vehicles. South Australia has the highest per capita rate of ownership of historic vehicles in the nation. The advantage of having the National Motor Museum here in the Adelaide Hills, along with a well-established restoration regime, has resulted in the preservation of historic vehicles becoming an important part of the South Australian culture."
