The layout of the show followed the same successful formula established at the inaugural show last year, that
is to say with the Grand Avenue in the main hall, where demonstration parades took place, with vendor
displays either side. The main stage which featured musical entertainment and parade commentary was at
one end, with the Grand Avenue Club enclosure below and fronting it. In three of the corners of the hall were
themed displays, at the stage end was one featuring the evolution of the Supercar in conjunction with Octane
and Evo magazines, whilst at the far end was the McLaren F1 GT area clothed in black drapes, and in the
opposite corner was a display of the fearsome Group B rally cars titled “The Pinnacle of Rallying”. The
Supercar display spanned from the breathtaking Lamborghini Miura, its successor, the Countach, every bit as
spectacular in its day, Ferrari’s iconic F40, the British attempt of the period, the Jaguar XJ220, the Bugatti
Veyron to an example of the current hybrid supercars, the Porsche 918 Spyder. The McLaren F1 GT display
featured five examples of the model, the XP3 prototype, a road car and three race examples, whilst another
Gulf liveried long tail F1 GTR was on display outside the main entrance to the show, and there was another,
the Harrods liveried example, in the “Six Nations” competition. The Group B rally car display comprised of a
Ford RS200, a MG Metro 6R4, a Peugeot 205 T16, an Audi Quattro S1 E2 and a pair of Lancias, a 037 and a
S4.
The second hall had the title “Car Club Square”, and as the name implies was predominantly dedicated to one
make car club display, together with a few classic car vendors and a “Memory Lane” single car vendor row
along the far wall. The BMW Car Club display featured a 2002 Turbo, a 3.0 CSL and a pair of M3s amongst
their offerings, whilst the Corvette Club had a broad selection of the models through the years on display,
including a 1963 split window Stingray Coupe and the latest Z06 model. Another interesting stand was that of
the Marcos Owners’ Club, which apart from a trio of Marcos models from different eras, also featured a rare
Adams Probe car, the link being that Dennis Adams was the designer of the Marcos 1800 GT. The stand also
featured a Costin, this time the link being that Frank Costin founded Marcos with Jem Marsh, with the
company name being formed out of the first three letters of each of their surnames – MAR + COS =
MARCOS. Another small British manufacturer’s club that had an impressive stand was the Gordon Keeble
Owners’ Club, with five examples of the model on display. When one considers that the car was only
produced between 1964 and 1967, with a total production of around 100 cars, this was an impressive turn-out.
Back in the main hall, the contestants in the “Six Nations Cup” were paraded three times a day, with show
visitors casting votes after each parade. As the voting progressed through the course of the show, the final
showdown came to a contest between Italy and the United Kingdom, with, maybe unsurprisingly, the home
nation taking the victor’s laurels, courtesy of an array of vehicles as diverse as an Austin 7, Rolls Royce Silver
Ghost, Land Rover Series1 and McLaren F1 GT, not forgetting the sixties icons in the form of the Mini and
Jaguar E-Type.
As an aside, as a completely obtuse bonus, over the weekend the Excel Centre had another exhibition in an
adjacent hall, “The London Super Comic Convention”, where people of all shapes, sizes and ages dressed up
in some totally bizarre costumes related to comic book heroes and characters. It was an eye opener to a
world that most of us never knew existed, but just as we are passionate about cars and things mechanical,
they are equally so about the comic book cult. The complexity of some of the costumes, and the way that the
participants took on the role play of the characters was very impressive.
Keith Bluemel
02/2016
|
