CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW

Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show 2021

The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show made a welcome return to the NEC in Birmingham last month with around 3,000 of the most desirable classic cars in the UK on display across 7 halls. Also competing for enthusiasts attention were some 270 car clubs, ranging from the AC Owners Club to the XR4 Register, some celebrating milestone anniversaries that occurred in 2020 as well as 2021.

A new feature for 2021 was ‘Our Friends Electric’ which put the spotlight on electric classic vehicles, from a 1911 Baker Electric that drove around the arena, to Richard Morgan of Electric Classic Cars’ converted VW Beetle from the TV show Vintage Voltage. Being press has its advantages, and an hour before the general public was allowed in we got to wander around the halls uninterrupted.

As I entered the first hall the heady aroma of polish and wax hit me, and I had the difficult decision of what to look at first. Huddled together in-between halls were the 4x4 contingency that comprised of the Series 1 Club, Range Rover Register, ExMilitary Land Rover Association and the Project Jay Preservation Group. All had an impressive collection of green ovals. Despite being a member of both the Series 1 Club and Range Rover Register I didn’t get the chance to stop and chat as I had photos to take and more halls to visit.

Whilst wandering around the Pride of Ownership competition, the one car that stood out to me was the red 1984 Rover SD1 Vitesse. Apparently, owner John Jones spent 8 years restoring it, and it was gorgeous!

Just behind the Rover was and equally stunning 1982 Lotus Esprit Turbo that's probably the most accurate replica of the Esprit from the Bond film ‘For Your eyes Only’ that you’ll ever set your eyes on.

From a distant hall I could hear the rumble of V8s, turned out to be the Sporting Bears Motor Club who offer ten mile passenger rides to visitors in exchange for a charitable donation. This year there was a huge selection of classics and super cars to choose from, and overall they raised an amazing £28,913 for various charities.

On the subject of rumbling of V8s, the halls were scattered with American muscle cars from Chargers and Challengers to Mustangs and Cameros, all from different eras and states of repair.

Walking past the live stage I noticed the time tables were up for the various appearances that included Mike Brewer who was joined by his Wheeler Dealers costars Marc ‘Elvis’ Priestley and Ant Anstead. Other folk appearing included Jimmy Doherty and Jimmy De Ville from Jimmy Doherty’s Dream Builds, Paul Cowland from Salvage Hunters Classic Cars, Helen Stanley from Motor Pickers, and Ant Partridge from Goblin Works Garage.

In another hall something interesting caught my eye. It was a 4.5 litre V8 Porsche Cayenne built by Porsche Classics down in Bournemouth for ‘off-roading’. As John from Porsche Classics explained, apart from the Front Runner roof rack and lights and odd fabrication work, pretty much everything else was from the Porsche parts bin. Despite its lofty look, its air suspension is standard, but on extended off-road height.

I don’t mind admitting that for the rest of the weekend I was checking out eBay for used Cayennes! There’ll hopefully be a full report on this beast in a future issue, so if you aren’t already subscribed to the magazine, do so now!

Nostalgia’s a funny thing, I found myself lusting over cars that I wouldn’t have touched with a barge pole back in the day. With that in mind, the Practical Classics team was joined by the Morris Marina Owner’s Club and Ital Register to frantically revive a 1971 1.3ltr coupe which hadn’t run for 30 years, restoring it in front of the live audience.

Although I didn’t see the finished result, apparently there were huge cheers when it fired up and drove off the stage at the end of Sunday’s show.

As I mentioned at the beginning, with over 3000 cars on show and 270 car clubs, it was a huge and busy show with far too much stuff going on to mention here. It was also fantastic to see so many car enthusiasts, of all ages, getting together with a common interest.

The next Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show is on Friday 11 to Sunday 13 November 2022 and you can find out more details by check the website at www.necclassicmotorshow.com or sign up for the newsletter for the latest updates at www.necclassicmotorshow.com