The NSRA was back with their premier pre-1972 hotrod, street rod, and custom car show on the 1st – 4th August 2024. Graced by wall-to-wall sunshine, this year’s event lineup was the busiest in the show’s 33 year history. From 11 bands over the four days, offering a mix of rocking and party vibes, to expert talks, a cruise out, and special displays, culminating in Sundays’ epic show ‘n’ shine.
The event got underway on Thursday with participants arriving and enjoying a relaxing day catching up with friends and fellow rodders. For the first time, the NSRA hosted a Hot Rod Quiz and a karaoke party evening; both went down very well and will be firm favorites for years to come.
Friday is a chance for participants to peruse the trade stands and purchase their event T shirts from NSRA Hospitality. Throughout the weekend, the ClassicLine team was on hand to help with any hotrod, street rod, custom car, and American car insurance questions, as well as discussing the benefits of insuring through the NSRA’s dedicated insurance scheme with ClassicLine. From our stand in NSRA Hospitality, we had a great view of the afternoon’s entertainment on the main stage, including Rock ‘n’ Roll Bingo, a Kylie Minogue tribute act, and the Supernats Pie Eating Contest! The music and entertainment continued late into the night with Country and Western acts, cover bands, and Northern Soul sessions.
Saturday is always a busy day and this year’s Cruise was organised by the Cannibals Car Club. 160 cars cars left the site for a Top Trumps poker run cruise, collecting the first poker card as drivers left the site, then cruising on to Buckland Automotive Engineering to collect the second card. Bucklands also played a big part in one of the weekend’s hottest car debuts, Adam Sayers gold ‘Blown’ A Sedan – what a standout car! After collecting the second poker card and a peek around the workshops, it was time to cruise to the day’s final destination, Keysoe International, a spectacular equestrian centre with ample space for all the cars to park together.
From here, participants made their way back to site to hand in their poker hands. Needless to say, our roving reporter didn’t have a good poker hand, and the game was won by Julie Jarvis.
Later in the day, a group gathered in the ‘party tent’ to take part in an informative talk on building your rod or custom to IVA approval. Led by the NSRA’s Legislation Officer Trevor Gardiner, we recently caught up with Trevor to find out how the NSRA is supporting members with legislative issues and BIVA guidelines. An insurance debrief followed the IVA talk with Darren from ClassicLine Insurance and the NSRA’s Valuations Officer, Chris Smith taking to the stage. Don’t forget that if your car is currently in build, having your vehicle insured on a laid-up policy with ClassicLine Insurance is sensible given the amount of time and effort you will have invested in your project. The final expect talk of the day was from debut novelist and fellow hotrodder, Lesley Brown, sharing tales that inspired her adventurous car themed novel, Finding Carla, set along the famous Route 66.
Saturday evening was ‘party night’, with sounds from Bradley Johnson aka Vinny Dingle, Si Cranston, and DJ Grant Pinney’s famous rocking party night set!
Sunday is the main show ‘n’ shine day and the show field was full as far as the eye could see with an exciting mix of pre-1972 hotrods, street rods, and custom cars. Facing the main arena was an iconic display of cars by the late Kris Brown and John Baldacchino, continued by a fantastic display of under 29-year-old members cars. It’s great to see the NSRA being so supportive of the next generation of hotrodders. The Model Ts too had a dedicated area, as did the Ford Pop’s – what an excellent lineup of cars!
This year’s invited guest club was the National Street Van Association. Bringing their unique vehicles and community spirit, the special display along the far end of the show field featured vans from classic 60s and older American vans, 70s American Boogie vans, 80s/90s Day Vans, as well as classic and custom British vans.
For the ClassicLine team, we always love catching up with clients and friends at the NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals. Sunday’s show ‘n’ shine is of course our highlight of the event, and this year we awarded our trophy pick to Steve Roberts, for his 1940 Willys Coupe. Keep an eye out for a feature on this car coming soon!
We hope you enjoy the photos, and if you would like to find out more about the NSRA’s dedicated insurance scheme with ClassicLine, please call us on 01455 639 000 or visit our contact us page.
Award Winners
NSRA Hall of Fame Induction Presentations were made to Brian Lucas, Andy Saunders, Small Fry, and Jerry Denning.
Special Award Presentations were made to Jason Hollamby, Brian Daly, and Bob & Jane Jeffries.
Best Tot Rod: Maverick, black flamed tot rod
Liberty & Lows Pick: Adam Sayers, Model A Sedan
Shuttleworth Pick: Rob, 1954 Chevy
Traders Pick: Tim Bate, 1932 Ford Coupe
Tony Robinson Award: Kevin King, 1953 Fordson
Popstalgia Pick: Kevin King, 1953 Fordson
Under 29’s Pick: Wade Nortcliffe, 1956 Chevy Bel Air
ClassicLine Pick: Steve Roberts, 1940 Willys Coupe
NSRA Pick: John Proctor, 1931 Ford Model A
NSRA Best NSVA Pick: Tony, 1965 Ford 400e Thames Van
Best Traditional: Kim & Steve, 1950 Mercury
Best Model T: Andy, 1923 Ford Model T
Best Commercial: Nigel Hepburn, 1952 3100 Chevy Pickup
British Tin: Mike, 1967 Ford 105e Anglia
Spirit of Hot Rodding Award: Ian Reeve, Austin Ruby
Young Rodder: Rhys Knoxx
Honourable mention: Jamie from France with the electric powered hotrod
Top 10:
Adam Sayers, Model A Sedan
Dave Cannon 1937 Chevy Sports Coupe
Mick Harle 1935 Ford 5 Window Coupe
Mark Barratt, 1937 Chevy Pickup
Colin Parkinson, 1933 Roadster
Dave Spreadbury, 1931 Willys Sedan
Graham Slater, 1956 MKVII Jaguar
Nigel Hepburn, 3100 Chevy
Kevin Barnaby, 1955 Ford MKI Zodiac
Charles Baldacchino, Small Fry
NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals Participants’ Choice Winner 2023: Dave Day, Chevy 3100 Pick Up
