CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW CONTINUES TO PROVE POPULAR

Filed under: Classic News |
There were no signs of a credit crunch at Birmingham's NEC last weekend (14-16 Nov) as the Classic Motor Show saw a nine per cent increase in its visitor numbers and classic car dealers reported excellent trading with over 20 classic marques sold over the weekend. James Szkiler from the Classic & Sports Car Centre said: 'Although some classics are not for everyday use, we are selling a lot of cars to people as investments; they are looking at the banking crisis and they want to put their money into something safe, which they can enjoy. We had a very successful weekend and sold three cars on site ' a Sunbeam Talbot 90, a Bedford CA van and a Jaguar XJ6 series 3 ' and have several strong leads to follow up over the next week.' Cheshire Classic Benz also sold three vehicles ' a Mercedes 420SCC, a 200 saloon and a 300CE ' as did Robert Hughes and Runnymead. Other dealers including Sam Bailey, Hurst Park Cars, Tygan and Chaplain all reported successful sales at the show and great interest for the future. Traders were also extremely happy with the visitor numbers. Jeremy Ireland-Jones from ICI Akzonobel, which was trading under the brand Hammerite Wax-Oil, said: ''This was our second year at the show and it was fantastic to see the aisles bulging with so many passionate people who wanted to learn more, and people still wanting to look after their prized possessions.' The Classic Motor Sponsors Meguiars and Footman James proved a massive hit with the audience. Meguiar's stand featured the breathtaking finalists of its Club Showcase concours competition. Despite fierce competition from a Ferrari, a Jensen, BMW, a Jaguar E-Type and a Panther Kalista, the winning car was a 1999 Rover Mini 40LE owned by Mark Wynn-Smith.''' Paul Matthews, Footman James' Managing Director, said: 'This year's show was a great success for us - with huge numbers of enthusiasts coming through the doors, the stand was constantly busy. It was fantastic to see that the show was packed to the rafters despite the current economic climate ' it just goes to show that the passion and enthusiasm within the industry remains as strong as ever. Our extensive on-site research, carried out throughout the show, should give us further insight into enthusiasts' thoughts and opinions on today's marketplace.' With over 300 traders and over 1,000 cars on display, the main problem for visitors was seeing everything in one day as the show spanned five halls of cars with displays from 180 of the UK best classic motoring clubs and two halls of classic motorcycles, which was a new feature for 2008. Classic Bikes at the Classic Motor Show included over 200 motorcycles and scooters as well as appearances from legends such as Colin Seeley and a Pride of Ownership competition which was won by a BSA-Triumph Special shown on the BSA Owners Club stand owned by Alan Brann. A popular focal point of Classic Bikes was the Ace Cafe London display, which included a Rickman Metisse Cafe Racer, a Triumph T140 Flat Tracker style racer and the cafe racer Little Miss Dynamite, built to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the cafe. Ace Cafe London founder Mark Wilsmore said: 'The classic bike hall showcased a very impressive display of motorcycles from the various owners clubs in what was a superb show, better than I had ever seen before, which the number of visitors proved testament to. We will be talking to the organisers about how the Ace can be even more involved in next year's show and the continued development of Classic Bikes at the Classic Motor Show.'Tags: