Organised by the ACP – Automóvel Club de Portugal, the Meeting of French Classics will take place in the garden of the Rainha D. Amélia Velodrome at the Soares dos Reis National Museum on 21 July, the date that marks the launch of the partnership between the ACP and the Museum, which will now host the Automóvel Club de Portugal’s events.
Bringing together several classic French cars, the meeting will also feature old bicycles, with the aim of increasing the interest and interaction related to the theme. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit the Soares dos Reis National Museum.
Historic vehicles are part of the intangible cultural heritage, symbolising the historical evolution of mobility in Portuguese society and representing the freedom of movement granted to all citizens. The ACP’s activities at the Rainha D. Amélia Velodrome will therefore be a way of enhancing, boosting and attracting new visitors to the Museum.
In 1894, when the bicycle was becoming an urban social phenomenon, King Carlos – an honorary member of the Automobile Club of Portugal – authorised the Real Velo Clube to build a track for cyclists in the backyard of his palace, today the Soares dos Reis National Museum.
Inaugurated that same year, on 29 June, the Velodrome, of which there are still significant remains, responded to the growing enthusiasm for cycling among Porto’s elite at the end of the 19th century. The velodrome was named after the wife of King Carlos I: Queen Dona Amélia.