MOTORING London show goes for a Mini revival
HARDLY a week goes by without a motor show happening somewhere in the world. New York’s has just finished, while Shanghai is about to kick off next week in China. There are great cars to see — but they’re so far away.
Thankfully, much closer to home for British car fans, the re-born London Motor Show is gearing up for its encore next month in Battersea Park.
It was brought back to life after last year’s sell-out, with the support of HRH Prince Michael of Kent as its patron. That followed an eight-year absence of either a London or a UK event.
Many motoring fans thought it an outrage that Britain, one of the world’s largest car markets, no longer had its own motor show. Patriotic Europeans in France, Germany and Italy are not shy of promoting their own indigenous and highly protected motor industries.
Geneva’s show — on neutral Swiss territory — is favoured more because nationalistic egos are kept in check.
But the UK’s open-door policy means we don’t just focus on home-grown companies. We have a much more diverse motor industry in Britain. Though they manufacture here, Honda, Toyota and Nissan, Mini, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ford, Peugeot and Jaguar Land Rover are all foreign-owned.
This year’s London Show, from May 4 to 7, features more than 150 new cars from major manufacturers and dealerships.
But the Brits are out in force with quirky Morgan showing a range including its 3 Wheeler. McLaren is revving up, too.
Silverstone-based coachbuilder David Brown Automotive is striking a particularly British note with its new ‘Mini Remastered’ range. It’s essentially the original classic Mini ‘reborn’ as a modern city car.
Priced from a chunky £50,000, with a top speed of 90mph and 43 mpg fuel economy, its gadgets include a navigation system, Apple Car Play, a four-speaker sound system, keyless-go, USB connectivity and charging and push-button start.
It has a reconditioned 1,275cc engine, four-speed gearbox, new chassis and body panels and a bespoke, leather-lined luggage space.
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