Classic cars turn Lagos Polo Club into museum of motoring history

The Lagos Polo Club in Ikoyi came alive on Thursday as the Classic Car Club of Nigeria transformed its grounds into a temporary museum of motoring history.

Held to mark Nigeria’s Independence Day, the 10th anniversary edition of the event, themed “Nostalgic Lagos Classic Car Show,” brought together vintage automobiles, fashion, culture and stories of Lagos’ motoring past.

The event was organised in partnership with the Lagos Polo Club and endorsed by the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

For many visitors, however, the attraction went beyond polished chrome, gleaming bodies and carefully preserved engines. The exhibition offered a journey into childhood memories, family histories and a Lagos that existed before modern cars, digital dashboards and computerised engines.

Speaking at the event, the chairman and co-founder of the Classic Car Club of Nigeria, Dapo Otunla, said the gathering was not merely about displaying old cars but also about preserving the memories attached to them.

Otunla said such exhibitions helped younger Nigerians understand how people lived, travelled and interacted with their city before the arrival of today’s sophisticated vehicles.

He said, “If you value something, you will look after it; you will maintain it. For us, it’s a way of recalling our childhood, how we used to live before now; it’s nostalgic.”

He recalled an emotional moment at a previous show when an elderly couple arrived in a Peugeot 404. According to him, the man, who was in his 80s, became emotional because the vehicle reminded him of the first car he drove while courting his wife. Their son and grandson were also present, turning the display into an unexpected family history lesson.

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For one of the club’s members, Ayo Shoyinka, classic cars are deeply personal. Shoyinka, who owns two Volkswagen Beetles, said that while he uses a modern vehicle during the week, he turns to his vintage cars for weekend outings and family activities.

Movie director and actor, Kunle Afolayan, who also attended the event with one of his vintage cars, described driving a classic car as a memorable experience.

This year’s exhibition further explored the connection between automobiles and culture through fashion and lifestyle displays. It featured rare automobiles spanning several decades, including Volkswagen Beetles, Mercedes-Benz models, Morris Minor and other vehicles that once symbolised status and sophistication on Nigerian roads.

A vintage “Bole Kaja” mammy wagon bus, courtesy of tourism partner, Loving Lagos, was also displayed, taking visitors back to the era of public transportation in Lagos during the 1950s and 1960s.

The event not only celebrated a decade of preserving automotive heritage but also kept alive the stories of the people, roads and memories that travelled with the cars.