On the Saturday there was also live action in hall 7, when there were RAC Rally of the Tests challenges. This
was the 2019 edition of a classic car rally running some 750 miles between Torquay and Chester, with the
show being the midway point, and some 70 competitors had to undertake a speed and agility test before
continuing on their way. Further live action could be partaken in with the Arrive and Drive Classic Car
Experience, where visitors could buy a drive in a classic sports car, including a Jaguar E-Type, around the
NEC complex. There was also the Sporting Bears Motor Club, where further rides were available to buy in a
variety of classic vehicles and supercars, with all proceeds going to a number of children’s charities. At the
2018 show alone they raised £30,000, and overall since their inception they have raised some £2.3 million,
with members providing their time and vehicles free of charge, so that all proceeds go directly to the chosen
charities.
Within the main show halls there were some 3000 vehicles ranging from motorcycles to microcars and heavy
commercial vehicles like the ex-Aberdare Council mobile library van and a Centurion tank, the latter displayed
crushing the rear of a MG F. The show is always a vivid reminder of long lost marques and models, through
the some 300 one marque and model clubs in attendance, and their passion for preserving, restoring and
maintaining some really obscure vehicles. All credit to them, as whatever one might think of a particular car,
i.e. did they really build something that awful. It’s a good job that somebody loves them, as they are all part of
our motoring heritage. Also, maybe without them and the income that they provided, some more desirable
models may have never existed. One could cite examples like the wobbly British three-wheelers of the fifties
like the AC Petite and Reliant Robin, which sold in droves at the time, whose makers also produced desirable
sports cars. Possibly one of the rarest, at least in Europe, cars at the show was on the Historic Sports Car
Club stand. This was a Bolwell Nagari, what is that I hear you say, no, I had never heard of it before either. It
was a fairly short lived Australian effort to build a supercar, which is actually more attractive than its name
might suggest. They were built between 1968 and 1974, featuring a Ford Australia V8 engine and 4 speed
gearbox plus other parts, grafted into a central spine steel chassis, similar to that used on the Lotus Elan,
and fitted with a fibreglass body. Apparently they were very successful race cars in Australia and equally
potent road machines, with a reported 100 coupés and 18 spider versions being built in period. The lurid
yellow example on display is one of only two examples in Europe, which are the only ones to have left
Australia, where it is a desirable collector car.
Within the mass of car club displays, there were plenty of attractive stands, both with the pedestrian offerings
and the high end sporting models. There were more than twenty various Ford model club displays and at least
eight different ones for the defunct Triumph brand, with the Triumph Sports Six one celebrating the 60th
anniversary of the Triumph Herald, featuring a number of variants on display. The Bugatti Owners’ Club display
featured an interesting selection of pre-war models, including a Type 50 saloon towing a trailer with a type
35B race car on it. The Maserati Club UK stand concentrated on open models from their heritage, including a
splendid white Ghibli SS Spider. Nearby the Lamborghini Club UK display ranged from a Jota Replica to a
new Aventador S LP740-4, with across the aisle there was an array of Pantera models and a Mangusta on the
De Tomaso Drivers Club stand. The Ferrari Owners’ Club stand concentrated on the Challenge car series,
with examples of all six variants to date, from a 348 Challenge to a 488 Challenge, all set out as a colourful
starting grid, with alongside a Hublot liveried 812 Superfast “Safety Car” ready to spring into action.
The show also featured a Discovery Channel Live Stage, a Practical Classic Restoration Challenge and a
Restoration Theatre. There was also the finale of the Meguiar’s Showcase, where show winners from various
car clubs go head to head for the overall winner’s crystal trophy, with a diverse range of offerings, ranging from
a wild Singer Sport Custom to the pristine Ferrari Owners’ Club concours winning F40, chassis # 90353, the
trophy winner being a 1959 Morris Mini Minor. The Silverstone Auctions company held an auction spread over
the Saturday and Sunday with a varied selection of vehicles on offer, including a Chevrolet Corvette C2 owned
new by singer Sir Cliff Richard OBE then later by Lulu, and a Ferrari 456 GTA once owned by Bernie
Ecclestone, although neither of these found buyers. Overall there was a strong sell-through rate, with a “barn
find” Alfa Romeo Montreal in need of “just a little” TLC achieving £39,375, whilst the top sale was a matching
numbers 1965 Aston Martin DB5, which sold for £618,750. There were also numerous trade car sales
displays, and stands selling almost everything conceivable associated with the automobile, plus a large
autojumble area. Actually, to do the show justice, more than one day was necessary to see everything.
Keith Bluemel
11/2019
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