What follows includes much of what I wrote for the introduction to the 2018 show report. I make no apologies for that because I found myself making the same observations this year as I did last. So, on Friday 8th November I made my annual trip to the Lancaster Insurance sponsored Classic Car Show held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, U.K. It’s no hardship for me because after a mile walk to the station it takes less than fifteen minutes, by train, to get to the NEC. The show opened at 10.00 am and I was amazed at the size of the crowd already queuing (‘standing in line’ for our American readers) before the doors opened. I obtained my Press Pass from the Press Office which is administered by the brilliantly efficient staff of Poppyseed Media Ltd.; then it was wham bam into the melee of committed classic car enthusiasts. The whole idea of me getting there early was to be able to take photos without being compromised by people standing in front of the camera looking at the cars, which they are perfectly entitled to do of course.
Right from the off I was having to seek opportunities of photographing cars without people masking their key features. Motor Shows are not the best environment for taking pristine photos. However, the presence of car enthusiasts does create ‘atmosphere’ and that is a good attribute when telling a story in pictures. Friday is supposed to be the least busy day so I can’t imagine what a crush Saturday and Sunday were. One thing is for sure, visitors interested in all kinds of classic cars, ancient and modern, were unlikely to have been disappointed. The proof is in the pudding as we Brits say, attendances increase year on year and many different foreign accents can be heard amongst the visitors.
Another observation that I seem to make every year is that there always appear to be cars on show that I have never seen before; sometimes cars that I didn’t even know existed. That is what makes this show so exciting and rewarding. Here are some photos from the 2019 show – even more of them than last year!
In an attempt to make studying and enjoying the photos a little more structured, I have put them under appropriate headings.
Alpine A110
American Collection
Chevrolet Coupe Custom
1956 Chevrolet Corvette
Chrysler 300
Studebaker 4 Door Sedan
Studebaker Runabout
Chevrolet Pick – Up Custom
1964 Ford Fairline
Ashley
Ashley Sportiva Coupe
Aston Martin
2019 Aston Martin Vantage
1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Vantage
Austin /750 Motor Club
Austin Seven to 750 Motor Club racing formula
Austin Healey – AHClub UK
Austin Healey 3000 Rally Car
Austin Healey 100 modified to ‘M’ Spec.
Austin Healey – JME Healeys
Austin Healey 3000 Rally Car
Austin Healey 3000
Austin Healey 3000 primed rolling chassis
Bugatti
Bugatti Type 35
Bentley
c1934 Bentley 3 1/2 Ltr. Tourer
Citroen
1920s Citroen Type C convertible
De Lorean
De Lorean
Fiat
Fiat X 1/9
GT40
GT 40 Replica
Jaguar
Jaguar XJ13
Jensen
Keith Hudson’s Jensen FF on the Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership stand.
Another Jensen FF his time on the Jensen Owners Club stand
The Eric Neale/Colin Riekie designed Jensen 541R which still holds the record for the fastest road journey between London and Paris.
Lancia
1934 Lancia Artena Berlina
Marcos
Marcos GT Le Mans
Matra Bagheera
1973 – 80 Matra – Simca Baheera
Morgan
Morgan AeroMax
Porsche Spyder
Porsche Spyder 718 RS 60
Porsche Spyder 550
Rochdale
1957 – 61 Rochdale GT
Rolls Royce
Peugeot
505 Turbo
205 GTi 1.9
Rootes Group Centre Archive Trust
Coventry Herbert Museum Poster promoting a Rootes Group Exhibition
Andy Bye with The Rootes Archive Trust latest addition, the Farmobile
All you ever wanted to know about the Farmobile
Rover (But not as you’d know it!)
Rover Ten Hot Rod beautifully prepared
Miscellaneous Cars that caught my eye
BMW 300 Series Coupe Racer
GBS
Alvis Speedster
Frazer Nash Monoposto
Oxford Universities Motorsport Foundation stand
Sebring Sprite
c.!921 GN
Nick
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