The third annual Fords by the Lake show was declared a roaring success by organiser Russell Leggatt, who said entry numbers had increased.

Seventy-four cars parked in the sunshine on Lake Pertobe's lawns, among them a 1928 Model A.

"We had a guy from Traralgon, another guy from Nhill, a couple from South Australia ? basically from all directions," Mr Leggatt said of visitors.

"The guy who comes from Traralgon was in a '58 Customline, which is no mean effort; that's a fair hike in something that old."

Nhill's Ken Rintoule came to the party with his impressive 2005 American GT40 super car, which lured revheads keen to inspect a rare import.

Mr Leggatt said sound-offs between early-model Fords and meatier recent versions kept fans entertained.

"It was for everyone to hear the difference in the technology," he said.

"You can hear the old car just ticking away - it sounds like a little rattle - and the new car's just all this noise and power."

Among the quirky entries was a 1976 XB Falcon hearse belonging to Kolora's Luke Moloney.

The burgundy beast comes complete with its own coffin and a number plate reading YRNEXT.

Mr Moloney, 24, said his passion for Fords began while working on friends' cars as a teenager.

"I just thought it would be something different; a major head-turner," he said.

"I actually bought it with the original books. It had been owned by a funeral parlour before I bought it."

Mr Leggatt said the All Ford Club of South West Victoria hoped to keep expanding the event.

"The array of cars was different this year - we had a bit of everything, which was fantastic," he said.

"Hopefully next year we'll get a few more in again, a bit of variety."