The European circuit-racing scene has shut down for the Winter, so car fans have to get their fix elsewhere- this show; sponsored by Lancaster Insurance (one of the leaders in Classic car Insurance in the UK) is not entirely about competition cars but there are always plenty of racers from yester-year dotted about the place. There were also motorcycles and even a few tractors!
It was great to see that this national show has bounced back after the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic. Many commercial enterprises both in the automotive sector and elsewhere have been badly affected and it’s taken a while for the survivors to get back on their feet.
The National Exhibition Centre is a truly massive place, easily able to carry off several shows at the same time; the car show took over six of the halls. It is situated near Birmingham, pretty much in the middle of the UK, and with excellent road rail, and air connections both to the UK and Europe. This time there were perhaps less than the usual numbers of foreign accents to be heard and I didn’t notice any of the usual visitors who make the long trip from Japan. The total attendance was just over 71000 through the gate, with 319 Car clubs participating in displays of various sizes. The show was held over three days (Friday + week-end) and I opted for Friday, which is usually a bit quieter, making it easier to get photographs without intruding on the spectators and vice-versa.
One of the best things about this show is the sheer breadth of vehicles on display; many car clubs make huge efforts to produce their displays, there are also impressive classic car sales areas where dealers can show off their wares alongside the growing Resto-Mod market, which increasingly includes electric conversions (I’m personally not sure about this side of things!).
The Iconic Auctions (formerly Silverstone Auctions) entry was not only massive and varied but the quality of many of the lots on offer was amazing too. Fortunately, I was not there on the day of bidding, so my bank balance remains at its usual (lowly) level.
This is not one of those car shows where everything is a trailer queen, in fact some of the “as found” cars were pretty spectacular in their degree of decrepitude and it’s a wonder they didn’t disintegrate on the journey to the show! The BMW 2002ti in particular looked ready to collapse but no doubt it will reappear, some years down the line, as a desirable and driveable vehicle.
My personal favorite was the barn-find Shelby Mustang, unfortunately, I couldn’t find anyone to give me the full story on this one but it’s obviously been sitting somewhere hot and dusty since the 1980s. How it ended up in the cold and wet UK is a mystery to me!
Normally in my reports, I concentrate on cars that readers in the US might not easily be able to see but this time I thought I would show you more American cars; it’s surprising how many there are over here- the clubs are very active over here and in Europe too. As it is the 70th anniversary of the Corvette there was an excellent display with pretty much all bases covered; I think I’m correct in saying that the ‘Vette was never officially imported to the UK until much later in its life; those cars which did make it here were personal imports and the shipping cost and tax situation made them quite an expensive proposition.
Another source, of course, was from folks serving in the US Army and USAF who were based in the UK and Europe and decided to sell their American cars before returning home- this worked both ways, of course, as many European cars got shipped back with their owners to the States.
I hope you enjoy looking at this gallery and, as usual, inquiries can be directed to www.petetaylor.org.uk
