Posted on 06 November 2018 by CarTakeBack

Whitby town is famous for its abbey, its beauty, and its goths. Twice a year for the past 24 years Whitby has been home to Whitby Goth Weekend (WGW), a festival of music, shopping and all things goth.

Over a decade ago Paul, one of the WGW regulars, got a few mates together who were all custom car fans, to park their pride and joys in a row on the cliff front and create a spectacle for all the visitors to WGW. Proving popular, Paul wanted to carry on the tradition. Unbeknownst to him, his daughter, a pupil at the town's West Cliff School, spoke to her headmaster and convinced him to let her dad use the school grounds for future custom car meets. And so, Whitby Kustom Car Show was born!

Paul's custom Chevrolet at the show in 2014.

Paul booked the school grounds upfront for every October for the next 10 years, deciding that if it didn't work out, he could always cancel the booking. But since the first show at the school in 2009, the Whitby Kustom Car Show has appeared every October Goth Weekend, growing in size as custom car owners from across the country heard about the show and came to join in with the fun.

The rain and wind didn't stop people turning up to show their cars this year.

Paul explained to us that Whitby Kustom became more popular than he could have imagined, with him having to turn away cars as the grounds reached capacity at many of the shows. When this happens, the car owners just park up their custom motors in the car park next door!

A ratted up custom hearse at the 2018 show in Whitby.

Whitby Kustom Car Show, with the tag line 'Goths and Gasoline', is run entirely by volunteer car enthusiasts, and each year they raise money for charity by asking for a donation upon entry from visitors. This year, despite the biggest storm Whitby has seen in many years, they managed to raise an impressive £1,100 for West Cliff Primary School.

There is usually a large number of 'gothed up' cars, with black, chrome, skulls and bats featuring heavily. Alongside those are cars with colourful paint jobs, exposed engines, and crazy customisations, that always get adoration from the visitors. There is always room for Halloween humour too, with some car owners being a little cheeky with their decoration...

No October Goth Weekend is complete without a few cheeky pumpkins!

The rules to include your car in the show are simple, the car must be pre 1975, and it must be customised. There have been some amazing cars over the years and this year, on the 10th anniversary, the show did not disappoint. From hot rods, lead sleds, and low riders, to hearses, ambulances and rat rods, there was an amazing array of motors.

Many of the cars were highly decorated. This sign was in the window of a hearse.

However, it's 2018 and the 10 years are up, so I'm afraid if you're thinking of bringing along your pre '75 along and taking part next year, that isn't currently an option. Paul has decided that now is the time to step away from the show, rest his tyres, and concentrate on other projects. He told us:

"I hope someone else takes this on and the show keeps going in another form here at Whitby Goth Weekend."

The grille of a custom Chevrolet at the show in 2014.

Here at the CarTakeBack office we've got our fingers crossed that someone takes the wheel and continues Whitby Kustom into the future, with the same passion and drive that Paul has done, as it's definitely been a highlight of our annual trip to WGW.

To keep up with what Paul of Whitby Kustom is up to, including his current car projects, visit his website.

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