*RETRO‑MOTORING

 

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Classic Motor Show at the NEC

A thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a wet and windy November Saturday - indoors surrounded by classic cars and enthusiasts. A quite impressive array of cars were on show of all ages, from the tiny Peel P50 (as seen on BBC's Top Gear programme) to some real exotica from Ferrari, Maserati and a Bugatti Veyron. There was plenty to see in the autojumble/trade areas too although luckily my wallet managed to escape the visit intact.

Click for the picture gallery.

Some of the highlights for me included this lovely Saab 99 Turbo, complete with retro-70s velour interior:

Saab 99 Turbo (by retromotoring)

Saab 99 Turbo (by retromotoring)

This Citroen Projet-L CX Prototype, which owes much to the Pininfarina Aerodynamica concept and looked quite like a wedge Austin Princess from some angles:

Citroen Prototype (by retromotoring)

This very rare Ford Granada 2-Door Saloon:

Ford Granada (by retromotoring)

Ford Granada (by retromotoring)

And my favourite car of the show, this Pro-Street Rover P4 which was absolutely beautifully built by Burnham Autos and featured Small Block Chevy power under the bonnet :

Rover P4 Pro-Street V8 (by retromotoring)

Rover P4 Pro-Street V8 (by retromotoring)

Rover P4 Pro-Street V8 (by retromotoring)

Rover P4 Pro-Street V8 (by retromotoring)

There are plenty of other highlights in the photo gallery.

I'll definitely be back for the 2010 show!