MORE than 3,000 people attended Westover’s Motor Showcase last weekend, organisers said.

The event was organised by the group, which sells 14 different brands in Dorset, to celebrate its 90th anniversary.

The star of the show was the new Jaguar F-Type, which car fans got the chance to see before it goes on sale.

All-electric models like the Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf also gained a lot of attention.

Alongside the show at the BIC, a charity dinner was held at Bournemouth Pavilion, raising £15,000 for Julia’s House, Montacute School, About Face, Lewis-Manning Hospice and Sparkle.

Westover’s business centre, First 4 Business, hosted a corporate breakfast morning, which was attended by 150 businesspeople.

Paul Dillon, Westover Group operations director, said: “We were really pleased with the success of the event and greatly appreciated all the assistance we received from local companies – there was a fantastic buzz, a great turn out and we’ve had some excellent feedback from visitors.

“People were genuinely interested to see the latest cars and our teams at the BIC fielded a lot of questions over the two days. Visitors were also keen to learn about new advances in motoring, so the latest on-board developments as well as the electric and hybrid vehicles we had on display attracted a constant crowd.

“Our intention was twofold – to celebrate the group’s 90th anniversary and to raise awareness of our wide range of vehicles.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever been able to bring the whole group together and it proved to be a really positive experience for local people, as well as very motivating for everyone that works here.

“An added and unexpected bonus is that many visitors have subsequently popped into our showrooms to take test drives and we’ve taken orders running into double figures already. It’s definitely an event we will look to repeat in the future.”

Anyone who registered in advance for the show on March 8 and 9 was entered into a prize draw to win a Peugeot 208 and the winner will be contacted by next Friday, March 22.