Practical Classics Restoration Show 2019, NEC Birmingham.

This year saw another of my favourite shows, the Practical Classics restoration show in Birmingham. Suitably large with lots going on, but not so big that you couldn’t see all of it.

One of the big news items was the magazine feature car, a 1959 Standard Ten, that was saved from the UK’s scrappage scheme. Now I don’t think anyone wouldn’t agree that this scheme wasn’t a good idea, leaving many perfectly good working vehicles destined for the crusher. Not environmentally friendly at al… The same fate was due for this rather nice car, the condition was really rather good. What’s even better was that it drove to the show. So much for cars not being allowed to return to the road, now where’s that airfield full of them…

On the other side of the stand was a stunning hand built recreation of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the one from the film, not the ones built by Louis Zborowski in the 1920s.

Something typically British was lurking on the Footman James stand, a Morris Minor. A second generation car, after the original Austin 7 style one made in 1929, the MM Tourer below would have been around 20 years later in 1948. Originally going to be called the Mosquito, the car had grown in size and become too big, besides Lord Nuffield the chairman of Morris Motors didn’t like the name. Good job really, I somehow don’t think it would have suited the car.

On the barn finds stand there was a varied selection as usual, how some of these cars ended up where they were is a mystery, especially when you see what they had.

As always at this show the barn finds section is impressive, this year a BMW E9  3.0 CSL, complete with ‘Batmobile’ wings. The homologation special introduced in 1972 was most likely one of the 500 or so originally imported into the UK, being right hand drive. Built lighter that the standard E9, using thinner steel and aluminium doors, bonnet and boot lid. They even went as far as using Perspex side windows and removed the soundproofing. Although the UK cars retained this and the electric windows, and also the standard bumpers meaning they weighed a little bit more than the other cars produced for different markets. The U.S wasn’t one of them though as they never got the car.

Not quite as rare a car as the 3.0 CSL, the Mach 1 Mustang was still quite a car to unearth.

Now this wasn’t with the barn finds, but this apocalyptic Mustang  looking like something from a film set in the future may have something to do with  Nankang Tyres being the partner for the Mad Max Fury Road film. Something looking a lot like this being in the official computer game.  Could be handy for Birmingham traffic at least.

Whilst making my way through the show before the crowds descended I was lucky enough to meet Bronwyn Burrell with Puff The Magic Wagon. The ex London to Mexico World Rally car, an Austin Maxi from 1969, and one of the original team. Ex Formula 3 and rally driver Bron was one of two of the three original crew that will be aiming to finish the rally this time. They got as far as Argentina before breaking down last time and 50 years since that original entry, they are going to enter the rally in 2020 with the aim to finish.

Follow them on www.puffthemagicwagon.co.uk

Another nice typically British rally car from the BL era was the Maxi’s bigger cousin, the Austin 1800. Looking rather impressive in it’s works historic marathon replica rally trim,  the original car would have been in the same event as Puff the Maxi. The Daily Mirror sponsored World Cup rally across to Mexico.

Something else to follow is anything that Mark Gray gets up to, he’s a rather skilled Rover P6 specialist. Owner of MGBD Parts and Service Mark knows everything there is about the Rovers, so it’s no surprise that he’s managed to get this 2000TC to go to Portugal for the Rover P6 event. He accomplished the 3000 mile trip even though he was recovering from a heart attack. Get well soon Mark.

Over at Classic Car Auctions I found this rather nice Bitter SC coupe.  Visually similar to the 400 series Ferrari this rather stylish coupe was based on the Opel Senator. Powered by either a 3.0L straight six or a longer stroke version of 3.9L. Launched in 1979 they managed to produce it until 1989 when the fashion for rebodying mainstream manufacturers cars was diminishing. After all, the Opel Monza was rather a nice car and came with the same 3.0 engine. Bitter made some sedan, convertible and even a four wheel drive variant. Overall numbers remained low, with around 500 or so being produced. But, it’s a great looking hand built car from a German coachbuilder. Bitter are still in business, making luxury versions of Opel products of course.

Finally,  not something that I would normally like, but this is representative of a generation of modern hot rodders in the UK, also known as the Max Power generation. Max Power was a magazine that for around a decade was on the shelves of every newsagents and piled up in many peoples homes. I never bought a copy as it wasn’t really my thing, but here we find an example of what was in it. Someone  probably spent around £10,000 back in the late 90’s on top of buying the Fiesta XR2i. Yes there is a Ford Fiesta under there and not a common one anymore. They have been disappearing from the UK’s roads due to rust mostly.

This one had some fairly large structural rust issues underneath, so would need some investment to put right. Is it my thing, no, should it be saved, yes. It’s of it’s period and in my mind deserves a sort of classic status. Who knows what people will think in anther twenty to thirty years time if they saw one.

Below is what the car would have been, I believe it was also red. Now, I do rather like that, gone are the days of a decent small hatch which seats four with decent handling and performance. Also price, light weight….

Simon