How the British do classic car shows

By Axel E. Catton
Nov 28, 2023 | British Cars, Birmingham Classic Motor Show

Photography by Axel E. Catton

In Europe, there’s a much smaller amount of actual outdoor car shows than in the US. Most important shows are indoors, and boy do they know how to do them.

If you intend to visit a European classic motor show, it’s fair to expect a focus on their national history and brands. If you love French cars, go to Rétromobile in Paris. If it’s Italians, try out the Auto e Moto d’Epoca in its new venue in Bologna, which has just trumped the longest-running Techno Classica in Essen in Germany for size. We here at Classic Motorsports have a thing for British sports cars, so we headed to the Birmingham Classic Motor Show in the U.K.

First of all, don’t expect Hershey size. While size does matter, the fact that it’s indoors limits the dimensions somewhat. In addition, the current financial climate meant that Birmingham has yet to return to its pre-covid numbers. However, seven halls covering almost a million sq.ft. gave space to over 300 clubs and 400 vendors showing more than 3000 cars. Over the three-day weekend, 71,000 international visitors attended the show.

The biggest difference to Essen or Paris is the dominant position of clubs in the U.K. There were a lot less cars for sale (one half of a hall dedicated to them) while clubs used their space with often original displays. Also, what amused us no end was the extreme variety of cars and clubs on show. From a barn-find Triumph Dolomite (you wonder what kind of barn had housed this frankly un-rescuable car) to a Bond Bug in the only available color, bright orange, to beautiful MG RV8s, and from quirky Jowett Javelins to regal Bentley Continentals–Birmingham did not disappoint.

Our personal favorites were a Lotus Cortina Convertible by Crayford, one of 20 such cars ever built, the Fairthorpe and Rochdale Club (we had never heard of these before), or the 1952 Bentley R Type with Hooper Empress body usually found on Daimlers. An especially creative display was found on the Ford Capri club stand showing a Mk III Capri crashing through a wall of boxes like in the U.K. crime TV show “The Sweeney.” And speaking of specialty stands, the fact that there was a dedicated stand for the “Ford MkIII Zephyr and Zodiac Owners Club” may show you how extremely quirky, unique and quintessentially British the show is. My personal highlights were a very elegantly looking 2003 Rover 75 V6 Convertible converted by an enthusiast using Mercedes-Benz CLK convertible parts and the return of “The Beast”, a hand-built but road-registered car with a 27-liter Rolls-Royce Merlin 12-cylinder engine from a Spitfire. It had sold just recently for £72,500 and had undergone a repaint in silver and refit of the controversial Rolls-Royce grill. As wacky cars go, this one takes the cake.

If you are considering coming to the show, there’s bad news and good news. The £35-£45 tickets to the Friday-to-Sunday show are exceptionally pricey, which definitely kept some fans away, but that may be offset by the reasonably affordable catering options and the exceptional connectivity. If you are coming from London as you’re connecting it with a longer stay, there is a train stop right at the show where you can walk right over. Even better is the fact that Birmingham airport is a walk away, too, with no shuttles, taxis or trains needed if you arrive by air from any international destination.