EPIC NEC KEEPS IT IN THE FAMILY
More than 70,000 people swarmed into the NEC for the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, from 10-12 November. The busy celebration of the hobby featured everything from Edwardian trikes to rat rods and the new Griffith LE, which took pride of place with the TVR Car Club.
A spectacular Molsheim display – thanks to the Bugatti Owners’ Club and the Bugatti Trust – landed the prize for Best Large Stand in the C&SC Club Awards. The set, spanning Types 35 to 59, with an ex-richard Shuttleworth supercharged twin-cam T51, included a quartet of ‘Baby’ Bugattis on a grid.
A chequered startline also featured with the De Dion-bouton Club, with six trikes lined up as a preview for its 120th-anniversary commemoration of Britain’s first motor races in November. The evocative display also yielded the Car of the Show: Bernard Holmes’ 1913 Type EF Open Tourer.
The ‘Family Ties’ main theme gave clubs plenty of scope for interpretation, such as the Historic Lotus Register on its NEC debut. “The group marks several 60th anniversaries,” explained Philip Jewell, “including the Elite and 12, Chapman’s first single-seater. On the back of us securing that from Classic Team Lotus, registrar Mike Bennett flew over from Adelaide. There’s an Eleven – 60 years since the Index of Performance victory – and one Seven, launched in 1957, from each of the first three series.”
The HLR was just edged for Most Interesting Selection of Cars by a dozen of Turin’s finest, organised by Simon Davies, from the Lancia Motor Club, Beta Boyz and the Montecarlo Consortium. Mike Wheeler owned the oldest car, a glorious Lambda, while Ian Mackay’s exacting replica of a Group 5 Monte-carlo began as a project more than 20 years ago: “It’s based on an original works car, from which all the dimensions and details were taken. The suspension supports, frames, fuel tank location, intercooler etc are reasonably accurate replications of the works cars – all of which were different!”
Best Themed Stand contenders included a wonderful quartet from the Sunbeam-talbot Alpine Register, each with a clever family link.
Peter Holland’s gorgeous Sunbeam MKIII was bought new by Gloucester Fire Brigade in 1956 and used by Henry ‘Cliff’ Corless, who purchased the car when he retired in 1969. Holland, CBE, was Her Majesty’s Chief Fire & Rescue Adviser from 1972-2017, and his parents were long-time friends of the Corless family. He bought the MKIII in 2010 and was delighted to welcome current Gloucestershire Fire Service chief Stewart Edgar to the show on the Friday, as well as a large family group on the Sunday.
After a heated debate, the winner was a delightful ‘Hatches, Matches and Dispatches’ tableau – including newlyweds and a family holiday – from the Morris Minor Owners’ Club. Organiser Peter Zakarianball was dressed up as an undertaker to go with the hearse. Four cars were owned across the same family: the van belonged to Ken Allen; his wife Debbie brought one of the saloons. Although Ben and Emily Allen were most recently married, Kimberley and Robert Youngman were sporting wedding gear.
Best Small Stand went to a fantastic quartet from the Frisky Register, including the works Monte-carlo Rally car – plus their 88-year-old designer Keith Peckmore and John Meadows, son of the famous engine builder, on hand to discuss the cars. Best Medium Stand went to a superbly presented group of luxury saloons – including the 1800 prototype – from the Vanden Plas Owners’ Club.
The Meguiar’s Club Showcase put 16 cars under the judges’ spotlight. The 1959 Morris Mini-minor of Ian Matthews was crowned the winner, while the Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership contest was decided by a public vote. Out of the 20 diverse finalists, first place went to Simon Mcnamara’s superb 1983 Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk1.
More mint VWS featured on the Mk1 Golf OC stand, including the 13,000-mile 1975 1.1 ‘Swallowtail’ – named after the shape of the sheet-metal between the rear lights – of Richard Stringer alongside Lee Williams’ 1976 1.6LS five-door, with all of 18,000 miles on the clock.
Stringer’s VW was on an eclectic shortlist for the C&SC Special Award, with Terence Tumber’s
Lotus Seven S2 (from the HLR stand) and Jonny Duddle’s Talbot Ten prototype. In the end, the gong went to Tim Sisson’s fabulous Edsel Bermuda station wagon (right).
Compère at the awards presentation Simon Taylor pointed out that it had been an outstanding year for club meetings: “Three remarkable events – 60 Years of the Seven, Roverfest and the Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival – would have been clear winners in any normal year.” The nod (just) went to the Windsor fixture, which has raised £100,000 for the Prince Philip Trust.
Three winners have generated £1.2m for good causes. Best Charity Contribution – the Bognor Regis Motor Club’s Regis Classic Tour – has raised £575,000 over 20 years. The inaugural Lifetime Contribution Award went to Club Triumph’s Derek Pollock, MBE, co-founder of the Round Britain Reliability Run in 1966. Since he introduced a charity element in 1990, participants have collected £600,000.
Rover Sports Register stalwart Mike Maher, who spent two years co-ordinating the Joint Rover Clubs group behind Roverfest, was Club Personality of the Year.
Dealers reported mixed results, with some expressing concerns about the number of “modern” cars being offered and Escorts, in particular, went beserk in the Silverstone sale (see Auctions).
Wheeler Dealers co-stars Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead went head-to-head in the sale. Brewer’s team refurbished an Escort XR3I Cabriolet while Ant’s crew built a 1950s-inspired single-seater from scratch. It was declared a draw, with both making £22,500, until Brewer chipped in an extra £5k. All the money will go to their chosen charities: The Marie Crawford Boyd Foundation and Harrison’s Fund.
The Sporting Bears had another fine weekend, raising £35,000 from about 1000 Dream Rides. Most popular was Clive Gosling’s fearsome 700bhp Ford Mustang.
The next Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, is from 9-11 November: go to www.necclassicmotorshow.com