Birmingham NEC Classic car show

Star of the Lancia Motor Club stand and voted best car at the show, The Lancia Stratos Zero Concept car which is currently in the UK being lightly recommissioned by Classic Motor Cars (CMC).

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

I had not visited the Classic Motor Show held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham for a few years, and to be honest I had no plans to attend this year. It is far away from my home and often badly lit for photographs, it is huge, and being that it is a UK show, it will contain lots of British cars. If it’s Fords and Vauxhalls you want, then this is your show.

But out of the blue I received a press release from the Lancia Motor Club UK about the show, to be held November 11-13. The center piece of their stand this year was to me the Bertone Lancia Stratos Zero concept car currently in the UK being fettled for the road, so it was straight onto the internet to find a hotel near the show and away I went. Plus the Alfa Club had a showing of AlfaSuds. So were there lots of Fords and Vauxhalls? Of course, plus plenty of Austins and Rovers but I am pleased to say I did manage to find lots of stuff to interest me. Yes, it was big and it was often badly lit and one day was not long enough to see it all!