The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show 2018 with Discovery takes place at Birmingham’s NEC on November 9-11. With our years of experience of treading the floor, we’ve put together a guide on how to get the most from your day at the NEC.
First World War fallen remembered
The Sunday of this year’s show will be 100 years to the day since the signing of the Armistice which ended the First World War and a number of clubs will be marking the event.
In Hall 1, the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain has adopted a ‘Coming Home’ theme for its stand and will be displaying a selection of vehicles used during the conflict including a Rolls-Royce armoured car.
The Daimler and Lanchester Owners Club is displaying a replica of the Lanchester armoured car in Hall 2, while the Sunbeam Talbot Alpine Register in Hall 4 will have a war-themed stand featuring period uniforms, poppy displays, and a showcase of WW1 poetry.
On a slightly lighter note, in Hall 8 the Retro Caravan Club marks both 100 years since the end of the war and 100 years of the trailer caravan: redundant artillery axles were used to build the first caravans that could be towed by cars.
There will be a two-minute silence at 11am on Sunday 11 November, where service personnel attending the show will be invited on to the stage to be recognised for their service.
Mike Brewer’s MGA to be revealed
Wheeler Dealers star Mike Brewer is set to be reunited with his MGA project at this year’s show.
After restoring an MGA on the show back in 2015, Mike fancied another and found this 1959 example in California during 2016. The car was duly shipped back to the UK and has been restored by Rally Preparation Services with parts supplied by Moss Europe.
The car will be on Mike’s stand, positioned by the live stage, with a representative from the MGCC on stage to talk about it on each day.
Daimler SP250 Owners’ Club
Next year will be the 60th anniversary of the Daimler SP250 and in Hall 2 the club will be showcasing one of the two cars that appeared at the 1959 Earls Court Motor Show.
There will also be an SP450, so called as it’s fitted with the 4.5-litre version of the Edward Turner Daimler V8 alongside the unique SP252 designed by William Lyons.
FordSport
In Hall 8, Fordsport is exhibiting for the first time, and is bringing a selection of cars to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ford Escort including a 1968 Mk1 alongside a Mk1 Mexico and an Escort Cosworth.
Morgan Sports Car Club
In Hall 1 , the club will mark the half-century of the Plus 8, displaying a very early 1969 model as well as the latest BMW-powered car.
Ginetta Owners’ Club
This year Ginetta Cars celebrated its 60th anniversary and the stand in Hall 2 will display is the oldest surviving Ginetta, a G2 built in 1958.
Jensen Owners’ Club
This year marked 80 years since Jensen Motors first exhibited at the Earls Court Motor Show. Two original show cars will appear alongside the car which is regarded as the first true Jensen and which has only recently resurfaced.
Historic Marathon Rally Group
In Hall 8, you’ll find a tremendous display from this club, celebrating the cars and crews that took part in the London to Sydney Rally in 1968. Cars include several BMC1800 ‘Landcrabs’ plus a Cortina GT and the famous Denton MGB.
The MGF Register
Proving that the MGF has achieved fully fledged classic status, the Register’s stand in Hall 8 will include a very early production MGF that has just undergone a full restoration.
TVR Car Club
Meet Ben Coombs in Hall 1, the man who drove the Pub2Pub challenge last year from the most northerly bar in the world in Norway, to the most southerly in South America using ‘Kermit’, the TVR Chimaera.
Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership
Each year, this competition invites around 20 owners to display their pride and joy at the show, with Discovery, for the Autumn Final.
Cars from the prewar era up to the year 2000 are considered. The standard of the car is obviously important but the passion of the owner and the journey the car and driver have been on is equally appealing.
Since its launch in November 2015, the competition has grown at a rapid pace with hundreds of applications received for both the Spring and Autumn finals.
The winner is chosen by you, the visitors by voting for your favourite at the show – and the owners campaign to tell you why you should pick their car. The winner is then revealed on the Lancaster stand at 2.30pm on Sunday.
Finalists at this year’s show range from a Bugatti replica and 1938 Citroën Traction Avant to a 1955 Triumph TR3 plus ’80s favourites the BMW 635CSi and Lotus Esprit Turbo while ’90s cars are represented by a Nissan Skyline and Escort Cosworth.
Auction
The auction has become one of the highlights of this show and this year’s sale from Silverstone Auctions includes a staggering 125 cars from all eras in addition to automobilia. The full catalogue can be found at Silverstone Auctions and lots 301-367 will be sold at 14.00 on Saturday, with lots 601-662 hammered away on the Sunday afternoon at 14.00.
Highlights? There are just too many to list but what about a 3000-mile Fiesta RS Turbo estimated at £25,000 to £30,000 and a 7-litre Lister Jaguar XJ-S convertible for £60,000-£70,000? Meanwhile VW fans will be tempted by the 2015 XL1 concept estimated at £95,000-£115,000 and one of our favourites is the 4.6-litre Mk2 Jaguar… or maybe the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton estimated at £30,000-£35,000.
2018 anniversaries at the NEC
- 40 years of the Chrysler Horizon
- 60 years of the A40 Farina
- 40 years of Midas cars
- 60 years of Ginetta cars
- 30 years of the Mk3 Vauxhall Cavalier
- 70 years of the Morris Minor
- 50 years of the Ford Escort
- 60 years of the Daimler SP250 ‘Dart’
- 50 years of the Morgan Plus 8
- 100 years of Citroën car production
- 80 years since Jensen Motors first appeared at the Motor Show
- 65 years of the Chevrolet Corvette
Win yourself a car!
As well as the many parts on sale, you could also bag yourself a new car at the show. Kelsey Media is raffling off two cars: our much loved Subaru Impreza and a special edition Mini 30, with tickets at £4 and no limit on the number of purchases. Find us at stand 339 in Hall 1.
Meanwhile, Lancaster Insurance is offering the chance to win its Mk1 Golf GTI in a free to enter promotion on the firm’s stand. Find them at stand 250 in Hall 1.
Classic Motorshow 2018 Top Tips
1. The NEC car park is somewhat huge. Take a picture of the sign showing which car park you are in. You’ll thanks us later.
2. Don’t automatically take the first entrance you come to at Hall 1 or Hall 5. Enter via the new Hall 8 or start in the middle to avoid being swept along in the crowds.
3. Make sure you go to the back of the halls. This is often where you’ll find some hidden gems in terms of cars and products.
4. Look out for show-only special offers and ask traders about show specials. And think of the money you can save on P&P by buying at the show.
5. Make use of the cloakroom facility to keep your purchases rather than lug them round with you.
6. Time your lunch break with what’s on the Discovery Live Stage. That way you can take a seat and enjoy ‘dinner and a show’.
7. If you’ve ever been to a big name concert at the NEC you’ll know all about the cost of parking and the big queues. Get there early enough and you can park far more conveniently in the station car park, just a few minute’s undercover walk from the show.
8. To avoid the spectre of the busy M42 – the ‘M25 of the Midlands’ – take the train from central Birmingham. Services run every few minutes between Birmingham International and New Street with a chance to unwind in the restaurants and bars of the recently revamped Grand Central after the show. If you fancy more of a classic car theme, then park in Longbridge on the site of the old Austin factory and take the cross-city line from Longbridge station to New Street.
9. The show halls are well served by restaurants and bars but they do get pretty busy at peak times. Just head out into the concourse and you’ll find much smaller queues for the pubs, shops and food outlets there.
10. The steel framed halls of the NEC make mobile phone signals patchy. If you don’t need your phone, turn it off for a while to prevent it draining the battery hunting for a signal.
