9th & 10th November 2018
I let the train take the strain - and just for once the train wasn't a strain - to go to the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show as I didn't fancy a very early start and then a late drive back.
An overnight stay in Birmingham meant just a short ride to Birmingham International station for the NEC but also a chance to have a few in the excellent Waterloo pub on Bennett's Hill the evening before 😀
The Waterloo is a really good pub with a huge range of real ales and the only thing on the telly is the list of available brews. So just the place to shelter from the rather horrid wet weather outside.
Birmingham was, despite the rain, rather lively and the largely under-dressed party animals trotting between the nightclubs outside the hotel kept going until the early hours - you've got to admire their stamina.
So, to the show itself. It was huge. I've not been to the NEC for a couple of decades at least. It's quite easy to lose your bearings within its cavernous halls. Even after six hours looking around I still think I may have missed bits! Here's a few pictures of my personal highlights:
Jaguar XK120. The best looking of the XKs (apart from the E-type).
Hubnut's Invacar, Twc (pronounced 'Took' because it lives in Wales). I've been following developments on this on the Hubnut Youtube Channel
A fine pair of Bristols. Yeah, I know 😇
A grey Austin A35. I have a soft spot for these, first car I ever worked on 😀
As evidenced by this picture from 1965. Keep your work area tidy?
Riley One-Point-Five. I quite fancied one of these when I was about 18. Allegedly the fastest thing you could get for the £815 or so it cost when it first went on sale.
Austin 101 van, the Austin-badged version of the Morris Commercial J-Type. Reckon you could make an interesting camper van out of on of those.
Talking of which this Standard Atlas with its tiny engine isn't one you'd want to be stuck behind in the Scottish Highlands but is very nicely turned out.
Bond Bug. Who doesn't like orange?
Ford Prefect 100E. My Dad had one of those.
He also had a BSA Bantam the same colour as this, until some git stole it from the car park at work.
There are some more photos in this Flickr Album
Eventually it was time to take aching feet back to Birmingham city centre for something to eat (cheaper than the captive audience prices at the venue) and a remarkably uneventful journey home by train from Birmingham New Street.
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