Step Back in time at the Classic Motor Show - NEC 2024

November. It’s a gloomy, dark month here in the UK. In the North of England particularly the conditions can be a little more challenging. Higher ground and mountain ranges create turbulent weather, and daylight hours narrow to a slither between damp nights riddled with weather warnings. The last vestiges of autumn colour give way to winter, dropping from the trees on to the pathways and roads to create a dull, brown, damp mess that sticks around until spring. Throw in a sudden temperature plunge that brings a healthy dollop of council applied road salt, the resulting morass coating the roads has enough corrosive power to render most metals useless in seconds. No surprises then that it’s the time when classic car enthusiasts across the nation are backing their beloved vehicles into the garages, car ports and storage units for a hibernation that will potentially last until April, my Fiat 126 BIS amongst them. But not everyone is done with their classics just yet. The braver owners (or at least the ones with deeper pockets or better rust proofing!) will make the annual pilgrimage to the NEC in Birmingham to support their local owner’s club and exhibit their vehicle or just enjoy what’s on show.

Now in it’s 40th year, I’m rather ashamed to admit it was my first visit, but I went with an open mind and keen eyes, which made writing this a whole lot easier. 

The show calls itself the “grand finale to the classic car season” and it proved to be a fitting title. Across the halls of the NEC there was almost an automotive A-Z of brands and vehicle types; from US Muscle to microcars, from a Ford Model T to a newly registered Ferrari Daytona SP3. From Japanese cars to East German. There was literally something for everyone. And seemingly an owners club for every vehicle type! Heinkelbubble car owners club, anyone?

The variety didn’t just stop at vehicle brands and types, it also was clear to see in the presentation of the vehicles on show. Some were trailered show queens that would probably never see the rough surface of a British B-road, but others were used and used well, such as a very cute FIAT 900T which still had the pork pies in the front seat from the drive down!

Other vehicles were displayed in “as found” condition, one of my favourites being a remarkable BMW Isetta which was being aired for the first time in 17 years after being found in an East London garage.

 In the same vein, but yet totally at the opposite end of the spectrum was a beautiful Ferrari 330 GT once owned by John Surtees, a gift from Enzo Ferrari for Surtees’ victory in the 1964 F1 World Championship. “Patina” is a term that gets thrown around a lot in vintage car circles, and sadly these days there is a lot of enhancement or completely false ageing of some vehicles. The 330 GT’s finish however was beautifully honest.

Also proving that age can be sexy was the Bugatti Owner’s Club who bought along a group of Type 35 racers (and one Type 37) to celebrate the famous French racer’s 100th birthday. They wore all of their years and battle scars beautifully, and I wish there was such a thing as sending smell across the internet. The open cabins had that unmistakable smell of old vehicles; oil, metal, leather. It was wonderful. Type 35s are €1 million plus cars so to see as many of them gathered in one place was pretty special.

And we’re barely scratching the surface. Everywhere I looked there was something interesting. I gauge how good an event is on two things: have I seen something I wouldn’t normally see, and have I learned anything? The answer at the NEC was yes to both. I was seeing vehicles I had never seen in the flesh before for the first time, and they were personal favourites or hero cars of mine. These included my first Plymouth Superbird, whose sheer size I spent a good while taking in.

This was also my first encounter with a DKW F89 L “Schnellaster” and the desperately pretty Auto Union 1000S, the Lancia Thema 8.32, the DeTomaso Longchamp, and my first Rauh Welt 911. I could go on and on. Another first was probably my car of the entire event; the prototype of Jaguar’s incredible XJR-15.

And this is where the learning part came in to the show. I never knew for example that the XJR-15 was the world’s first road car made entirely from carbon fibre, nor did I know that there was XJR-15 DNA in Nissan’s R390!

I also caught a glimpse of another rare prototype; a Ford Escort Cosworth Monte Carlo which looked identical to the Monte Carlo next to it at first glance. But on closer inspection the lack of twin rear spoiler hinted that this was something different. Indeed the prototype was fitted with a “low drag package” and there were “Motorsport” side decals behind the front OZ wheels instead of the “Monte” you’d expect to see. Only three are said to exist so it was a rather neat thing to admire.

Quite the opposite of low drag was the unicorn Subaru ImprezaS201 found on the stand of classic car dealer Fairmont. This hyper-rare GC8 hails from 2000, and the last year of GC8 production. Subaru threw the entirety of the STI parts catalogue at the S201; height-adjustable suspension and a front helical differential were just a couple of tweaks added to an already impressive chassis, while the engine benefited from a new ECU, intake and exhaust, pushing power to probably a little over the 300bhp that Subaru admitted. Remember this was the era of the gentleman’s agreement of a 276bhp cap...

Rarities and unicorns weren’t limited to four wheels either and I was happy to see some superb motorcycles on the various stands including a rotary engined Norton F1, Laverda Jotas and some gorgeous Maicoletta scooters to name a few that caught my eye.

There really was something for everyone and I definitely recommend visitors to take a full weekend ticket to thoroughly enjoy the event at your own pace. There’s a sizeable auto jumble and sales stands tacked on to the main halls selling everything from distributor caps for a Ford Capri to a full size double decker car transporter trailer for your HGV.

But that’s where one of my few criticisms of the event comes through; the random nature of some of the stalls felt like quantity rather than quality was the order of the day. No amount of carbohydrates or decent coffee from the many good food vendors on site could have blurred my cognitive reasoning enough to think I needed to buy a king size double bed complete with mattress, or a full oak furniture set. Nor could it have convinced me that I really needed builders bucket, or a cheap tin sign informing visitors to my house that the parking was strictly for (insert your classic here) and all other vehicles would be crushed, especially after I had ignored about 150 of them beforehand.

But those aren’t critiques unique to this event, and I’m probably nit-picking in all honesty! If you’re a car person, this is a trip worth making.