Held over three days the 40th anniversary of the Classic Motor Show was a resounding success.
Billed as the UK’s largest Classic Vehicle Show it is often seen as the finale to the motoring season; racing has finished for the Winter, and there are no more outdoor events (apart from the odd rally or sporting trials).
The event is held at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on the outskirts of Birmingham, which is pretty much in the centre of the UK and has good road, rail, and air access, not only for UK attendees but also for international visitors.
There is always a huge variety of cars on display and this year the motorcycle side of things seemed larger than ever; unfortunately, I really didn’t have time to linger there as there was so much else to see in just one day.
A large part of the show, which is held in six inter-connected halls of massive proportions, is the Iconic auction; as usual there were some fabulous entries, not all of them expensive- some of them merely very rare.
It has been noticeable that since production of the traditional Land Rover “Defender” ceased a few years ago these models have become firmly become “classics” and values, even for somewhat-used examples have gone through the roof. There were several dotted around the halls on Club stands and quite a few pristine later models in the Auction, not all of which sold, due to “aspirational” reserve levels.
Noticeable too was the number of ex-military vehicles on show; I was amazed to see what looked like a brand-new six-wheel drive WW2 Jeep bristling with guns, ammunition, and other ordnance both onboard and also filling the attached trailer; it was actually built with painstaking accuracy over a number of years by an enthusiast and has made several trips to Normandy for the D-Day memorial events. All I can say is that it was astounding but I’m not sure my wife would like it if I took it home! There were further vintage “military devices” in the Club’s displays including ambulances and communications vehicles.
The Iconic auction results can be found here: https://www.iconicauctioneers.com/the-iconic-sale-at-the-nec-classic-motor-show-2024-cars/2024-11-09/ipp-100
The prices achieved are in US dollars, a rough conversion at current rates is to multiply by 1.25 (or add a quarter!). Some of the results were incredibly high but equally, there were some bargains to be had. It’s difficult to give a general opinion on the market at the moment; global events have had different affects depending on which area of the price scale one looks at.
This being (I don’t believe it!) the fortieth anniversary of this show there were several retrospective displays showing how the event has changed over the years and it was very interesting to see how things have progressed from when “old car ownership” was something of either necessity, due to (lack of) finance or was regarded as perhaps a bizarre hobby by those outside the circle.
There is always a selection of American cars at this event and this time it seemed a better representation than ever; the owners are generally enthusiastic and well-informed about their choice of ride and it is always a pleasure to talk with them.
At the opposite end of the size spectrum, the display of micro-cars was a demonstration of the ingenuity involved in designing transport for the masses in the aftermath of WW2 in Europe, when the car industry was recovering from either devastation or war-related production. For similar reasons, the motor-scooter was born and the display of both restored bikes and “rat” examples was bigger than ever. I was a Lambretta man in my youth and looked upon other makes with disdain but advancing age has perhaps mellowed me and my opinions of Vespas and obscure East German devices!
It is always interesting to find examples of vehicles that one has owned in the past at these shows and this time there were more than ever before- in no particular order: Renault 5 (my first new car), Morris Minor van (what I learned to drive in), Citroen BX (a technical marvel), Mini Coopers (several), various Lotus sports-cars, MGs, Ford Granada (massive for the UK), Triumph Daytona (cured me of motor-cycling as I flew over the stone wall!), Jaguar XKE V12 (great until you came to a corner), FIAT Strada and Alfa Sud (rusted away as you looked at them)… etc. The Greater Manchester Police high-speed pursuit Ford Capri brought back some personal memories too!
Speaking of Morris Minors, there was a very early one (built in 1949) with less than 20k miles on the clock and had lived in Canada for most of its life; it was in remarkable un-restored condition. Every year something like this turns up which is why this big show is so great. Who would have thought that there were still any Ford Escort RS1600s still in shed sand barns, particularly with big wheel arches; the example here hadn’t been cleaned at all but I suppose that will change soon, given the money they fetch these days.
I have to say that this show was the best at the NEC for several years; it seems to have got back towards its core values and was a really good day (or three) out. Hope you enjoy looking through the photos, I’ve tried this time to include the less-known UK/European vehicles, there were plenty of highly-polished examples of the usual suspects but I tried to give them a miss for one.
Photo Gallery
