Cold War Wheels 2025: Yorkshire aviary museum to host classic car and bike show to remember the period of history between 1960s and 1980s

Cold War Wheels is an opportunity to remember the period of history between the 1960s and 1980s when East and West were at loggerheads.

The event will showcase classic cars and bikes that were driven and ridden. It is hosted against a backdrop of the museum’s collection of Cold War jets, from giant bombers to supersonic fighters.

Alongside the displayed vehicles will be icons of the time like the Ford Capri, Triumph Stag and even a Sinclar C5 plastic scooter.

The event will take place at Yorkshire Air Museum on June 15, 2025.

Yorkshire Air Museum spokesperson, Jerry Ibbotson, said: “The Cold War cast a huge shadow over people’s lives and a great way to reflect on that period is by revisiting the cars and bikes we saw on the roads at the time.

“Combine that with our incredible Cold War collection, throw in some period music, and you’ve got a great event.”

Cold War Wheels is now in its third year and more than 130 vehicles are currently booked to exhibit including a double decker bus and the museum’s own 1970s airport crash truck.

Mr Ibbotson said: “Visitors can also learn more about an icon of the Cold War that sits in the heart of York – the Royal Observer Corps bunker in Holgate.

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“This was where a group of volunteers trained for the event of the Cold War turning hot: nuclear conflict. We’re hosting a talk, ‘Watching for Armageddon – the Royal Observer Corps in Yorkshire’, by historian Graham Cook, aided by one of our own trustees, Tim Kitching, who was in the ROC and worked in the bunker.

“We’re also reviving a series of short videos – Cold War Stories – we produced in 2023 for our Cold War exhibition that year.

“These are first-hand accounts of the period - from a nuclear bomber pilot to someone who grew up in the Soviet Union – that will play in the Museum cinema all day.”