COWLEY'S car building heritage will be celebrated with a display of classic motors at Templars Square shopping centre.

Cars built at the city's car plant over more than 60 years, will be parked inside the centre for motor-lovers to admire.

From Sunday, August 7 to the following Saturday, a Mini, Maestro, Morris and Montego and five other vintage vehicles will go on show.

Cowley car enthusiast Tanya Field organised the event, which is now in its third year.

The 44 year-old mother-of-three, from Headington Quarry, said it was a "complete joy" to sit with the cars and talk to people about the plant, both past and present.

She said: "It's a chance for everyone to shout about car building in Cowley. It's a really great week.

"You get to hear great stories about people who built those cars when they worked at the plant, but also stories about how their dad or someone else in their family worked there.

"The whole area is saturated with information about the plant."

The cars will be on show from 8am to 6pm, and 10am until 4pm on the Sunday.

Mrs Field, who will be helped by some of the owners of the classic cars, will also display brochures and photographs of the cars being built.

A large map of the plant made in the late 70s will also be on display.

As well as reflecting on the past, Mrs Field said the week was important to engage and educate young people in the history of car manufacturing in the city.

She added: "Most young people know the Cowley plant is owned by BMW and they produce Minis, but not many know which cars were made before that.

"It's really interesting to hear people's stories and memories of the cars – whether they worked on them or drove one."

Cowley has been producing cars since March 1913 when William Morris's first Morris Oxford – known as the Bullnose because of the distinctive shape of its radiator – rolled off, or more accurately, was pushed off the assembly line.

From that day, the city would be no longer just be known for its university, and earned a reputation as one of Britain's major industrial centres, employing, at one time, 28,000 workers.

The plant was later to run as Pressed Steel and Rover Cowley, before BMW took over in 1994, and launched the Mini seven years later.

Today, more than 4,500 people are employed at the site, with 1,000 models of four different Mini models rolling off its assembly line each day.

Plant spokesman Steve Wrelton said: "This is a great community event that celebrates the rich car-making heritage in Oxford.

"There will be a host of vintage cars on display, alongside one of the first new Minis off our production line, which are increasingly being considered as a modern classic."

Mrs Field will also be selling Cowley Classic Car Show 2017 calendars priced at £5.

The profits of the calendar will go to Cowley Classic Car Show on Sunday August 14 which is raising funds for SeeSaw an Oxfordshire child bereavement charity.