Birmingham: home to Black Sabbath, BSA motorbikes, Land-Rovers, Cadburys and the NEC Classic Motor Show.
After giving it a miss for a couple of years, I opted to go north on Friday and spent a very fulfilling day at the show. There was, of course, a stunning range and quantity of cars with owners relishing the opportunity to bring out their pride and joy on behalf of their clubs and organisations, with some last minute polishing and detailing happening right up until the show opened at 10am.
With apologies to those individuals though, I seem to be drawn towards the more 'patinated' and unusual cars on show – a particular favourite being the 1935 Batten Special found lurking among various hotrods complete with a fabulous drilled chassis.
Another oddball among the gleaming marque examples was the Shirley MkII, a curiously styled glassfibre body mounted on a 1949 Anglia chassis and one of only four believed to be still in existence. It may not have been the most beautiful creation at the show, but it succeeded in stopping Elliott and I in our tracks briefly, if only to find out what it was and marvel at the high floor, which must provide an odd driving position.
Another curiosity was the ratty Jaguar E-type fitted with a smallblock motor; a hole crudely cut out of the bonnet bulge to allow the air filter to see the light of day. Although the alloy wheels weren’t to my taste, I not so secretly harboured a desire to take the car, change the wheels and keep the rest exactly as it was with just a sparce bit of trimming on the inside.
But for me, perhaps the biggest thrill from being at the Classic Motor Show came courtesy of two wheels rather than four. Having to walk through the motorbike hall on the way from one half of the show to another wasn’t exactly a hardship for someone who likes classic 'bikes, but when Elliott suggested we stump up £2.50 to go and see the Wall of Death, it seemed rude to refuse.
