Summernats car festival attracts thousands in Australian capital city

About 300 modified and restored cars cruised along Canberra's Northbourne Avenue on mid-day Thursday, unveiling the four-day Summernats Car Festival, the country's biggest horse power party

Thousands of spectators lined both sides of the street, trying to catch a glimpse of a whole range of cars that they would rarely see on street on an ordinary day.

For the first time in the event's history, the Australian Captial Territory (ACT) government has issued special permits to allow highly-modified cars to join the parade - the largest to date.

Summernats, now in its 29th year, enjoys great popularity in Canberra, as event co-owner Andy Lopez estimated that total crowd turnout would well exceed 100,000.

The earlier history of the event left the public with a grungy image of hot cars, showgirls, vodka shots and beer. However, when the new owners bought the event six years ago, efforts have been put to change that image.

Lopez said that early enthusiasts of the event have been in the 40s and would like to bring their kids along to the event. He called Summernats a venue that "you can bring your family and kids to."

Lopez said there are over 2,000 cars on display during the four-day event at the Exhibition Park in Canberra. Endit