| Part One – The Classics
The ‘Practical Classics’ Classic Car & Restoration Show, at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre, has to be one of the U.K.’s, if not the World’s, friendliest auto shows. It is amazing to see the crowds of enthusiasts queing up at the entrances prior to the 10.00 a.m. opening time on the first day. Then the surge forward as the barriers are opened. Many top football teams would be pleased to get the same response and especially the civility of the fans. I am always struck by how friendly, polite and enthusiastic everyone is, exhibitors and visitors alike. This was my third consecutive visit and I did have a moment, in the weeks leading up to the show, when I thought to myself “this could be a little ‘deja vu’, seen it all before”. But that certainly wasn’t the case, I was engaged from the moment I entered Hall 5. Why Hall 5? because that’s where the Press Office was located, organised by PoppySeedMedia’s charming and efficient staff. I am sure that there were some cars on show which I had seen on previous visits but not that many; in any case they were well worth seeing again. What truly amazed me was the number of vehicles that I encountered, this time, which I had never seen in my life before – the Fordson threewheel ‘Tug’ (in Part Two) being just one example. This first part features cars that are mostly in pristine condition, i.e., they have already been through the restoration process. Part Two will present those cars either in need of restoration or are already well on their way. I took quite a number of photos so you can judge for yourself –
 What better way to start than to showcase Britain’s first true car manufacturer – Lanchester – a 20 HP example from 1908.  1967 – 1970 Ford (U.K.) Corsair Convertible  Corsair Estate
 1968 – 86 Ford Capri
 1948 – 57 Austin A40 Pick -Up Truck  c1927 Austin Seven Delivery Van  1936 Austin Seven Ruby  Ford Fiesta ‘Maxed’  ARKSPRITE TWIN-CAM-70l. A car with a lot of history! Not much Austin Healey Sprite about it apart from a general Mk.II silhouette.  1933 MG J2
 1939 MG TA Tickford  1934 Riley Kestrel
 1990 Pastiche TA International (representation of a 1925 Aston Martin International design)
 1970 – 75 Citroen SM  A (Meadows) Frisky gathering. What a delight!  1953 Morgan Plus 4
 1939 Morgan 4/4
 Mid 1920s Renault NN Torpedo Cabriolet
 1964 – 86 Reliant Scimitar
 1962 Reliant Sabre Six, only 77 built including 2 soft-tops
 MGA Twin-Cam
 Oselli MGA ‘Graduate’
 FFR (Factory Five Racing) GTM Sports Racing Car (Would you believe this is a Kit Car?)
 1950s Buckler 90
 Ford 1172cc side valve Engine with Aquaplane cylinder head.  1985 GTM Coupe (mid engined Mini engine). One of my favourite cars from my youth, when it was launched as the Cox GTM. Later it formed the basis of the GTM Libre.
 It wasn’t all about cars – here’s a mid 1920s Sunbeam ‘light single’ motor bike.
Also on ‘YouTube’ – https://youtu.be/dU_Hh_MTQ00
For the ‘Restorations’ go to Part Two (click)
Nick
carsceneinternational.com
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1961 -1973 Volvo P1800 – This particular car was one of those used in ‘The Saint’ TV series and an early, Jensen Motors, West Bromwich, built car.
