Classic & Sports Car January 2022

Clubs, traders and enthusiasts packed the halls of Birmingham’s NEC from 12-14 November for a vintage Classic Motor Show. With huge variety on display, from ‘shortie’ chops to restored double-decker buses and everything in between – including a Goldfinger Continuation Aston Martin DB5 on the C&SC stand – it was a show to remember after last year’s interruption due to the pandemic. The event also played host to the return of the Classic & Sports Car Club Awards for 2021; to find out all of the winners, turn to p16.…

I’ve been involved with our annual Classic & Sports Car Club Awards almost since their inception more than 20 years ago, but the phenomenal efforts our national car clubs put in to making this hobby tick never cease to amaze me. And these awards are hugely important for the C&SC team, because they give us an opportunity to recognise and reward the work of the people and organisations that are the true lifeblood of our community. This year our judges’ jobs were made even harder, with more entries and a higher standard than ever before – the Best Club Magazine category alone demonstrated the constantly increasing quality and quantity of that work. After last year’s shift to a virtual ceremony, it was particularly special to be able to see so many…

After a year’s hiatus, enthusiasts were thrilled to be back at the NEC Birmingham from 12-14 November for the hotly anticipated return of the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show. Some 63,328 visitors came through the doors over the three days of the show – a figure that compares remarkably well, considering the ongoing concerns around the coronavirus pandemic, with 2019’s 71,000 total. As ever, the clubs were the stars of the show, which now lays claim to being the world’s biggest classic vehicle club event. There were 270 making an appearance – including several first-time exhibitors – and some 3000 varied classics to enjoy. The best of them were rewarded with gongs in the Classic & Sports Car Club Awards 2021, held once again in association with our longtime sponsor Lancaster…

VETERANS PASS 125th MILESTONE The RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run celebrated its 125th birthday on 7 November, as the the sun shone down on hardy participants who are more used wintry conditions on the famous event. The annual celebration of the original Emancipation Run, which was held in 1896 to mark the passing of the Locomotives on Highways Act and the raising of the speed limit from 4 to 14mph, kicked off with the ceremonial tearing of the red flag – fittingly by the fastest man on Earth, Andy Green. As the sun rose at 7:06am, the first cohort of pre-’05 machines and their doughty drivers puttered away from the Hyde Park start. First to get under way was the Scott family’s single-cylinder Lutzmann, dating from the year of that…

An opportunity for celebration seems a good outcome from the Classic Motor Show. Celebration because the show was the largest indoor event for historic vehicle enthusiasts since the outbreak of the pandemic; many new vehicles that have been in restoration appeared for the first time; and there was a general atmosphere of hope for the future. The Federation Village was at the entrance to Hall 5, and this year we welcomed four new partners: Motul, the Great British Car Journey, Childline and the Federation Skills Trust. Together we brought 24 exhibits, but I only have space for a few highlights. Among the most photographed cars was BRM V16 chassis four, built from 32,000 parts machined using original blueprints. From Transport Museum Wythall came a freshly rebuilt 1931 AEC Regent piano-fronted double-decker, with…

TESTING TIMES FOR RAC CREWS Back after two years, the 19th edition of HERO-ERA’s RAC Rally of the Tests attracted 75 crews from nine countries and produced a first-time winner. But between the start at Oulton Hall near Leeds on 4 November and the finish three days later on the outskirts of Edinburgh lay 29 tests and 22 regularities to challenge driver, navigator and car, many of which were after dark including the slippy Bramham Park complex that kicked off the event. After the prologue, the Porsche 356B of Paul Crosby and Andy Pullan (Paddock profile, December 2021) was leading, with the event’s most successful crew ever hot on its heels – Paul Wignall and Mark Appleton (Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint) have, between them, won this rally 11 times. Day two started back…