50 years on, vintage vehicles to reenact Portugal's Carnation Revolution

Experts have been diligently assembling over 1,000 parts to restore the vintage 1942 Humber armored car, aiming to have it ready for the 50th-anniversary celebrations of Portugal's Carnation Revolution.

"It's emotional to see the vehicle I was in on that day again... I knew then that Portugal would never be the same," recalled 73-year-old Jose Afonso de Oliveira, a retired psychologist, who led the team aboard the British-built vehicle during the historic event on April 25, 1974, which marked the end of a 48-year dictatorship.

Reflecting on his role as a former second lieutenant among the 5,000 troops involved in the coup, de Oliveira admitted the uncertainty of the situation but recognized the regime's vulnerability.

Days before the anniversary, de Oliveira visited a workshop where a dedicated group of enthusiasts has been painstakingly restoring armoured vehicles from the revolution era for the past two years.

Describing the restoration process as akin to a complex puzzle, Antonio Carvalho, a 41-year-old engineer involved in the project, highlighted the challenges encountered.

To aid in the restoration, historical materials and rare parts were sourced with the assistance of an Englishman who provided support through the Portuguese embassy in London.

As part of the official commemorations, the restored Humber will join approximately 15 vehicles in a historic reenactment of the columns that entered Lisbon, led by Captain Jose Salgueiro Maia, a revered figure of the revolution.

Inside the workshop, alongside the Humber, sits a replica of the Portuguese-made Chaimite armoured car known as "Bula," which carried deposed prime minister Marcelo Caetano during the uprising.

These vehicles, once deployed in the colonial wars in Africa, have become symbolic of the peaceful uprising, alongside the iconic image of soldiers adorning their guns with red carnations.

Reflecting on the pivotal day, veterans like Jose Climaco and Antonio Goncalves recall the tense encounters and the pivotal moments when the regime's loyalist forces nearly clashed with the revolutionaries.

Ultimately, the revolutionaries' determination for change prevailed as they peacefully surrounded the barracks, initiating negotiations that led to the regime's surrender and the beginning of a new era for Portugal.