Birmingham, England, 10 November 2002
Biggest Yet!
The 2001 edition had been the largest show up to then, but demand for space for the
2002 running was so strong that the organisers used a larger third hall this year. This
was linked to the two main halls by an enclosed walkway, to provide a total of over
50000 square metres of exhibition space. Within the three halls were around 1000
vehicles of all descriptions, displayed on around 170 one-make club and numerous
trade stands, with the extensive autojumble area featuring around 300 traders selling
virtually everything from oil filters to fine art. The ”big” didn’t stop at the show itself, as it
also had its biggest ever exhibit in the form of a WW II Sherman tank as part of a
specialist military display. The statistics of this leviathan are impressive, as it weighs
some 30 tons, has a 76mm main gun, a 9 cylinder Continental C4 radial engine of 16
litre capacity which consumes fuel at the rate of 2 gallons per mile, only its maximum
speed lets the statistics down – a leisurely 20-25mph!
Classic British
As befits a show in what was the virtual heart of the motor industry that the United
Kingdom once had, there was a fine selection of representatives of the ”home grown”
product. The pre-war era was well represented with some rare models on display, like
the Triumph Dolomite with it’s marvellously sculpted chrome radiator grille, a
supremely elegant 1937 Charlesworth bodied Alvis Speed 25 convertible and the
unique 1935 Jensen Ford station wagon built on a Ford type 48 chassis. Apart from
the everyday cars of the late forties and fifties there were some fine examples of the
elite British cars produced during that period like the Daimler Conquest from 1948,
whilst the Post Vintage Humber Club had a superb display that included a Super
Snipe and an Imperial with a Landaulette body by Thrupp & Maberly. There was the
Ford Anglia, recently brought into prominence through its use in the hugely successful
”Harry Potter” movie, together with one of its main competitors in the early sixties, the
ubiquitous Mini in a variety of forms, including a custom stretched limo example.
There were also a number of commercial vehicles of all shapes and sizes, like the
diminutive Austin Seven van, a 1958 Morris J2 breakdown truck, an ex-Royal Mail
Morris JB van, a Ford 100E AA van, and an ex-army 1944 Hillman Utility van.
Americana
The American car and car culture is popular in many parts of the world, and the United
Kingdom is no exception, as witnessed by the large presence at the 2001 show. This
year the American car clubs and trade stands had been given their own area, entitled
”Americana”. This new theme attracted a wide range of ”American Iron”, and plastic in
the form of Corvette and Viper including a rare GTS/R variant of the latter. The culture
was represented in the form of a fifties diner layout, all chrome and plastic with the
obligatory Wurlitzer juke box! There was a special celebration of 150 Years of
Studebaker that included the only complete 1950 Champion Starlight Coupe in the
UK, this wonderful bullet fronted Raymond Loewy designed creation is art-deco
personified. Other cars in the Americana arena included (unsurprisingly) a Ford
Mustang, a customised 1965 Chevrolet El Camino, a 1967 Dodge Coronet dragster
and a Chrysler PT Cruiser in drag, or I should say in dragster configuration, featuring a
500 cubic inch (whatever that is in metric, it’s big!) Chrysler Wedge V8 engine.
Sports & Racing
The motor sport enthusiast wasn’t left out in the cold as there were numerous
competition vehicles dotted around the halls. Amongst the rally cars on display were
an MG Metro 6R4, and from an earlier generation the Volvo PV 544 together with a
Ford Escort RS 1600 on the Minilite Wheels stand. The expansive Jaguar Daimler
Heritage display included examples of Jaguar ”C” and ”D” Types, the 1966 XJ13
project car, together with the ”heavily armed” Jaguar XKR as featured in the latest
James Bond movie. On the Ferrari Owners’ Club stand there was a 360 Challenge car
sandwiched between a Testarossa and a Dino 246 GT. There was one of the two
prototype Triumph TR2s on the TR Register stand along with a number of other TR
variants, whilst elsewhere there were examples of the Anglo-American hybrid
Sunbeam Tiger, a ”Macau” Triumph Spitfire commissioned by Walter Sulke, the Hong
Kong main dealer, to use in the Macau Grand Prix in 1965, a BRM P159 F1 car and a
Ford GT40 to name but a few.
Porsche Presence
The Porsche Club of Great Britain excelled themselves with a marvellous display of
the company’s heritage. The line up of 911 models with a rare 914/6 was quite
impressive, but apart from this there was a superb 550 Spider at the main entrance to
the stand, alongside which mechanics from Autofarm were rebuilding an engine, but it
wasn’t until you had passed through the central canopied boutique/hospitality area
that the real ”stars” were evident! Not just one ex-Le Mans winner, but a trio of them in
the form of a Martini 936/77, a Rothmans 956 and a Mobil 911 GT1, quite a
breathtaking and colourful display, and one that certainly attracted the crowds in
droves.
And Ferrari!
Unfortunately the majority of ”Ferrari only” enthusiasts would have left for home
disappointed, as there was nothing of great rarity on show, although it is not every day
that one sees an F40 or 360 Challenge car in the local supermarket car park.
However, if there wasn’t a wide enough selection of real ones, then there were plenty
of scale models available to fill yet another display cabinet, or box in the loft, at home.
Ferrari Models On Display
Ferrari Owners’ Club Stand
|
