Those of you who have read our latest e-newsletter, you will have seen that we have attended 21 events this season in an official capacity; plus another 17 shows that members of our team have attended and reported on in their free time. After 38 shows, we thought it’s time to give the team a rest!
So, we decided not to have an official stand at this years NEC Classic Motor Show. Instead we sent along key members of our team to catch up with our partner clubs and to check out the displays.
With 300 classic vehicle clubs on display, this 35th anniversary show did not disappoint!
The show featured everything from a one-hundred-year-old car on the Wolseley Register stand to a brand-new Aston Martin DBS Superleggera! In fact, the 1919 Wolseley 16/20 C7 5-seat tourer proudly displayed on the Wolseley Register stand drove 100 miles on wet roads just to be at the NEC.
As we moved around the halls, our eyes were peeled for the interesting and exceptional. For the first time, the ClassicLine supported Retro Rides team were exhibiting at the show. Their 1982 Honda TN-Acty being one of the stars of the show. Likewise, the orange 1989 Middlebridge Scimitar on the Middlebridge Scimitar Club stand was certainly a hit too.
The Bug Club’s display of three Bugs with their canopy’s up provided us with a great photo opportunity; as did the yellow modified Imp on the Imp Club stand. On an adjacent stand, we couldn’t help but fall in love with the deep cerise colour of the 10 Tourer on the Sunbeam Talbot Alpine Register stand. This was opposite the rare Rootes Farmobile Prototype which certainly received a lot of attention on the Rootes Archive Centre Trust stand.
The Audi stand were joined by members of the ClassicLine supported Audi 80 Cab/Coupe Enthusiasts who we are looking forward to welcoming as our club of the month in early 2020. It’s great to see modern classic cars being recognised at the show.
2019 has been a year of big car anniversaries. From the iconic Mini to the popular Ford Capri, we really enjoyed the golden anniversary line ups of Capri’s on the four dedicated Capri club stands.
The Meguiars stand featured many of this year’s show winning vehicles, including the provocative Automatron, this year’s ‘Best In Britain’ winner at the National Hotrod, American and Custom Car Show. Continuing on an American theme, the UK Tri-Chevy Owners showcased three stunning Tri-Chevy’s, one from each year.
The NSRA were joined by their 2019 Young Rodder winner who brought along his 1930 Ford Model A. This hotrod is a great example of what the many talented young hotrodders are building here in the UK.
From grassroots to epic road trips, we really enjoyed seeing Ben Coombes from Pub2Pub on the TVR Car Club stand. He was certainly kept busy with all the interest in his well-travelled TVR Chimaera and upcoming road trip plans.
It was great to see the members of Awfully Pleasant Scooter Association who had a number of stunning classic scooters on show. A special mention must also go out the members of the Walsall Collective that put on a great display of scooters in hall 5!
As we were so busy mingling around the show, we missed all the on-stage action and the three-day restoration of a Jaguar E-Type with the Practical Classics team!
If you attended the NEC Classic Motor Show, we would love to hear your highlights.
