martin horrocks
It must have been more than twenty years since I last visited the most important fair in England, so it was interesting to come back this time.
First impressions were good, with well-organized parking spaces and efficient management of ticket sales and access to the venue. Later, I would even find that the food had improved considerably: now you can eat it, although you may not pay for it ...
Like the country in which it is held, the National Classic Car Show or National Classic Car Show welcomes in its bosom a large number of rarities and curiosities which is hard to find anywhere else in the world. It is, in the first place, a fair for amateur clubs, which come to replace the brands that star in other top European events such as the Retromobile in Paris or the Techno Classica in Essen.
Thus, if Mercedes-Benz, officially, occupies in this last mentioned fair an immense stand full of pieces from its museum, in Birmingham it is the English Mercedes-Benz Owners Club that is in charge of presenting, through fifteen models of its members, the history of the German brand.
Perhaps this is because the UK no longer makes cars, except for some Japanese; But even in the case of luxury products in which the island still enjoys a certain reputation, such as Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce, it is also the clubs - and not the factory - that assume the representation of its brand of worship.
Although it is true that this fact reduces the impact caused on the viewer's retina, it is also true that thanks to it a room is created on a smaller scale, friendlier and populated by enthusiasts eager to share their hobby.
Curious and diverse
Of course, the diversity of interests is more impressive. Thus, there was a fairly strong stand in Bristol in which almost every one of the models produced by the English manufacturer was exhibited, from the first 400 derived from the BMW 328 just after World War II to the Blenheim and Fighter, which finally led to the bankruptcy of the company in 2011.
More humble, although just as valuable in these times, was the space of the Microcar Owners Club, or Micro Car Owners Club, which featured a BMW 600, Fairey, Friskey, Bonds, Trojan, Heinkels and other small curiosities of three and four wheels. Straddling these two schemes was also the cast of models exhibited by the Morgan Owners Club, focused more on the new 3 Wheeler now that the Malvern brand has jumped on the “cool marketing” bandwagon.
As a metaphor for the end of post-war austerity, which occurred in the mid-XNUMXs, the stand dedicated to the Austin Metropolitan demonstrated what a small, hard-working group of fans can do: Through a colorful display of eight cars, all in excellent condition, for the first time the hybrid model seemed to have a reason for being.
Recall that it was another bizarre attempt by Austin to invade the North American market. In alliance with Nash, the A40 was rebooted with the aim of looking like a ½-scale American passenger car, but in the end the only thing that was achieved was to bring together the worst of automotive concepts on both sides of the road. puddle.
The Hot Rods also put a note of color in the grayish English November. There are those who do not approve of cutting a Ford Prefect and putting a supercharged Chevrolet engine on it, but the truth is that the artistic and imaginative talent that these machines give rise to is undeniable and that the end result is many times more interesting than the starting point, at the less for me.
An early copy of the Ford A flathead was an exquisite reminder of how the early days of hot rodding were played by young men building their own sports cars. The car was beautifully proportioned, low and powerful, without the excesses that would come later.
Classics competition is extremely important in the UK, so there are numerous race and rally organizers. The Historic Sports Car Club is one of the largest and most active clubs in this regard, and its space was a delightful cornucopia of racing cars from the 50s to '70s, from Turner to Nissan, populated by fans with colossal knowledge. There was a very rare Cannon GT there, a mid-engined GT made in the sixties by Mike Cannon and unknown to me.
At the Ferrari stand - of his English club - you could see F40, F50 and Enzo together. Maserati showed us each and every Quattroporte and its variants made to date, while Bugatti pitted the Veyron against the Brescia. Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce also contrasted past and present. Another space was dedicated to the Beatles' cars; there was glamor everywhere ...
However, Birmingham is not a glamorous place and if that is what you are looking for, then Retromobile in Paris is your fair. On the other hand, it is not remotely the size of Techno Classica Essen, nor does it have its variety of specialist automotive and product suppliers. Nor does it manage to match the dimensions of Padova, in Italy, but perhaps if it has the spirit of this last meeting, organized by and for enthusiasts and in which unusual things are seen.
Mind you, if you want to get an in-depth look at Vauxhall production, see ten Hillman Imp derivatives in one place, or admire some of the best sports and racing cars from the post-war period onward, an autumn weekend in Birmingham could be more attractive than it seems at first glance.
