NEC Classic Car Show 2023

17 Nov

Photo of the show for me was this stunning red MG SV-R with well set-up green lighting on its surrounding stand. *1/125s 50mm F2.0 ISO 1000.*

If I remember correctly I haven’t been to the NEC Classic Car Show since 2019. The show was cancelled in 2020 for reasons that don’t need explaining and I just hadn’t been available to go in 2021 and 2022. It’s the show stopping finale to the classic car season before most old timers go into their winter hibernation. Thousands of cars, hundreds of car clubs, countless stalls for buying just about every car nicknack you can think of all hosted in the UK’s largest event space. Did I mention it’s big?

With hundreds of car clubs in attendance there’s room for more specific clubs like this one for Rover coupes. *1/160s 50mm F1.8 ISO 800.*

MGs were well represented across several clubs. *1/100s 50mm F1.8 ISO 800.*

Unsurprisingly given their popularity Fords were well represented and there were many splendid examples that rolled back the years. *1/100s 50mm F1.8 ISO 1000.*

Work vehicles were more stylish in the past. *1/50s 50mm F1.8 ISO 640.*

As classic Vauxhalls are becoming a real rarity it was great to see so many on display here. Sadly most have not survived over the years. *1/40s 50mm F1.8 ISO 640.*

I was there on the opening day on Friday and, as is ever with these events, it was still very well attended even on a school day. I had a press pass, but I hadn’t realised I was allowed in an hour early as I only received the email with instructions at 23:55 the night before. Someone was clearly burning the midnight oil on that one. But it’s much more fun with the crowds anyway. The only real problem I have with this event is that there is just simply too much to take in in a single day. In fact, it’s even possible to get lost there’s so much. If you really want to appreciate everything, being there for the weekend is the way to go.

This mad highly-customised BMW E24 6 Series really caught my eye. With a completely custom body kit and a V10 engine from a later M5. *1/100s 50mm F1.8 ISO 640.*

A close up of the wheel shows off the level of detail that went into this build. *1/50s 50mm F1.8 ISO 640.*

On another stand the BMW 02 Series (pre-cursor to the fabled 3 Series) looks better with every passing year. *1/60s 50mm F1.8 ISO 400.*

This wreck of a BMW 2002 looks like it was pulled off of Isla Nublar. This company specialised in restoring cars that seem otherwise beyond saving. *1/50s 50mm F1.8 ISO 640.*

The inside had fared little better. I can only imagine it was left outside under a tree for many years. *1/50s 50mm F1.8 ISO 640.*

My experience coming this time around was very different than the past. Four years ago, I was a semi-pro part timer (and that’s being generous) and having simply been to less shows and seen less cars I was much more impressed by all the big-ticket stuff. Now as a more seasoned pro, I was more drawn to the car clubs now, least of all because there’s people who I could talk to about getting their cars featured. That however is always more difficult at big shows like this, as normally a lot of the cars have already been featured given their higher profile and as it is so busy it can be difficult to catch the owners when they are free. I still had some luck though. What was the most amusing of all however was seeing cars on display that I had already photographed. Goes to show I am definitely shooting at least some of the right stuff.

Finished in a mad colour scheme favoured in the 90s, this Fiat Coupe is perfectly period appropriate. *1/160s 85mm F1.8 ISO 500.*

A close-up of an early Lamborghini Countach. This model is nicknamed Periscopio after the early design idea of having a periscope rear view mirror to counter the tiny rear window. *1/100s 50mm F1.8 ISO 500.*

Another stand had it’s Ferrari rivals on display. *1/125s 50mm F1.8 ISO 1000.*

Product stands also had cars on hand to draw in the punters. *1/100s 50mm F1.8 ISO 800.*

One thing that really impressed me was this car customiser used by Rolls-Royce in the 1970s. Simple genius. *1/60s 50mm F1.8 ISO 1000.*

Unfortunately the Auction was on Saturday so I didn’t get to witness that and I only had a quick glance at the cars from the other side of the fence (regular punters have to pay £10 for a catalogue to gain entry). Though I am not sure if I am happy or sad I missed out on seeing the stretched limousine Range Rover that once carried Mike Tyson around the UK. There were certainly some weird and wonderful things on display.