5 BRITS THAT WOWED
MORRIS MINOR 1948 LONDON MOTOR SHOW, EARLS COURT
The Minor made its debut at the first British motor show since the outbreak of the World War Two, an event that attracted no fewer than 31 motor manufacturers (in addition to Morris) that used the opportunity to unveil ten major models. But it was the humble family car, launched as a two-door saloon and a tourer, that had arguably the greatest impact on the crowds. That’s saying something when other cars unveiled at this show included the Jaguar XK120, Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports (retrospectively, DB1) and Austin A90 Atlantic.
TRIUMPH TR2 1953 DUBLIN MOTOR SHOW (AND AGAIN, 2013 CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW)
Pre-production prototype TS2 is perhaps the only car to enjoy its debut twice. Press officer for the TR Register, Wayne Scott, who brought along the car to Bicester, explains: ‘In 2013 it was the 60th anniversary of the TR marque, so we did a bit of a PR stunt where we announced that a brand-new TR sports car was going to be unveiled at the NEC. I dressed as Sir John Black and re-enacted the original launch he did at the Dublin Motor Show and we had huge crowds gathered around the stand, all waiting to see this new TR. Instead they were transported back to 1953 and the new sports car was the TR2.’
JAGUAR E-TYPE 1961 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW, SWITZERLAND
The story behind the E-type’s debut is almost as legendary as the ovation it received when it was finally unveiled. With a huge buzz around Jaguar’s brand-new sports car, an eleventh-hour decision was taken to have a finished convertible (77RW) transported to Switzerland. The problem was that the car was in Coventry, some 600 miles away. Thankfully, the marque’s star test driver, Norman Dewis, completed the journey in just over 11 hours, just in time for the model’s Geneva launch. Once 77RW’s sister coupé, 9600HP, was clocked at over 150mph in testing, the rest was history.
LOTUS ELAN M100 1989 LONDON MOTORFAIR, EARLS COURT
The car that revived the name of what is still considered to be the benchmark of sporty handling was unveiled at the Motor Show’s former home of Earls Court. The M100 was as intriguing for its looks as it was for its make-up – a thoroughly modern turbo-charged (in SE guise) front-wheel drive convertible, skinned in lightweight GRP. While no-one could fault its forward-thinking specification, there were plenty who were turned off by the price.
ROVER 75 1998 BRITISH MOTOR SHOW, BIRMINGHAM
The 75 was slated for a reveal at the following year’s Geneva Motor Show, but its debut came six months earlier at the NEC – in spite of the problems that would result from a large delay between the unveiling and cars actually arriving in showrooms, owner BMW felt launching the car at a British event was crucial. But that faux pas pales into insignificance compared to BMW boss, Bernd Pischetsrieder, who, instead of delivering a speech celebrating the 75, outlined a bleak future for the Longbridge plant, which would lead to Rover’s eventual sale in 2000.