"People want to see cars, learn things and have a good time."
Hundreds of car enthusiasts from across the North visited Bradford for the Car Mela, which is described as the “Paris catwalk for cars”.
Held by the Bradford Modified Club (BMC) and Fuelling Futures on September 2, 2023, the mela is a celebration of the city’s car culture.
Over 40 different cars were on display, from Lamborghinis and McLarens to modified Golfs, BMWs and American muscle cars.
The event took place at Cha Cha’s Adda and visitors made the most of the opportunity to see the cars up close.
Organiser Mo Ali, who is the founder of BMC, said:
“We are working alongside Fuelling Futures to create a safe space for young people and the community of Bradford and surrounding areas to celebrate their car passion.
“People want to see cars, learn things and have a good time.
“We want to bring people together to have a good time, and for car owners to show off their works of art.
“Our cars are art. They are a cause for celebration and something a lot of people in Bradford believe in.
“It is this love of cars and community that will bring people together.”
Fuelling Futures is run by the arts and culture organisation The Leap, Bradford College and Bradford Council.
It is supported by Sir Lewis Hamilton’s charity, Mission 44, created to support and empower young people from underrepresented groups dreaming of STEM and motorsport careers.
Sabir Musaji, Fuelling Futures co-ordinator at The Leap, said:
“It’s the wow factor.
“People from Manchester, Halifax, and Bolton have come to Bradford to see these cars and celebrate the city’s car culture.
“We’ve made this a family environment, we’ve got a bouncy castle, food and I think it’s a much better way to do it.
“Being into modified cars can be quite isolating but when people come here, they find their community and people.”
“Here it’s not about your background or ethnicity, it’s people coming from all different backgrounds coming together for their love of cars.
Mariam Majid, TikTok manager at BMC, said:
“I’ve grown up around cars, all my life. My brothers were petrolheads.
“We want to help people see cars differently and we’ve seen a lot more girls get involved in car culture.
“Girls are coming forward and are more confident and comfortable around cars now.
“We’re seeing female-only car events in Manchester and it’s because they’ve been inspired by what they’ve seen here.”
Some activities at the event included learning the basics of car maintenance and a wheel workshop.
The day hoped to promote interest, skills and learning in the motorsport and car industries, and how to get into them via routes like apprenticeships with Bradford College.
Habib Khan has been involved in cars for the last 35 years. He said:
“These cars are works of art.
“I’ve been to Paris fashion week, and you see people dressed well, well this is the car version of that.”
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