​Show Director Lee Masters said: “We are delighted to have welcomed so many enthusiasts and those in the industry to the show this year, especially in the current climate. Huge thanks as always to the motoring clubs who all put on tremendous displays, all our partners and exhibitors, and our amazing guests who brought the house down on the Live Stage."
 
This year’s show theme had been embraced by the 300 motoring clubs in attendance with many cars featuring on their own ‘Top Trumps’ card. Visitors crowded round headline sponsor Lancaster Insurance’s stand to buy their special edition pack.
 
Wheeler Dealers’ Mike Brewer hosted a wealth of motoring talent on the Discovery Live Stage with Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars’ Drew Pritchard and Paul Cowland, and the Goblin Works Garage team Jimmy De Ville, Helen Stanley and Ant Partridge appearing over the weekend. They were joined by BTTC driver Jason Plato and Shed and Buried star Henry Cole as well as fantastic car parades and the three-day restoration of a Jaguar E-Type.
 
Of the sixteen stunning vehicles on the Meguiar’s Club Showcase, it was Dave Rippard’s 1959 Morris Mini Minor that received the top honours and the crystal trophy. The judges had meticulously inspected the cars in one of the closest results to date.
 
The hotly contested Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership competition saw 20 diverse cars in the final but it was Ted Brooke’s 1961 Morris Minor Million that lifted the winner’s trophy. Voted for by the visitors, second place went to Ian Cummins’ 1991 Mazda MX-5 while Tahmid Haque’s 1988 BMW E30 325i Sport came third.
 
Andrew Evanson, Senior Operations Manager at Lancaster Insurance, added: “This year was extra special for us; with Lancaster celebrating 35 years of trading and the show enjoying its 35th anniversary. Bringing everything together was the inspired Top Trumps theme and it was fantastic to see how well this was embraced throughout the halls. 
 
“The show highlights what is so extraordinary about our community; the enthusiasm, dedication and a whole heap of passion and I felt a huge sense of pride as headline sponsor. It was great seeing the array of classics on display including Ted Brookes’ Pride of Ownership winning 1961 Morris Minor Million and as always the weekend was the perfect ‘close to the season’.”
 
It was the expert judges that decided the winners of the Classic Motorbike Show Pride of Ownership. Mark Taylor’s Ariel Square Four bike and sidecar came first with joint second going to father and son Alan and Paul Stopford with their two 1959 Triumph Bonnevilles. Third place went to Blake Hemmingway’s 1975 Honda XL250.
 
The Sporting Bears gave around 750 ‘Dream Rides’, a ten-mile passenger ride in one of over 80 cars available over the weekend. They raised just under £30,000 for various UK children’s charities.
 
A special test for the RAC Rally of the Tests brought live competitive motorsport action into the NEC halls for the first time. The crowds flocked to the barriers as over 60 cars ranging from Minis to Porsches tackled an agility test before heading back out onto the road. The event was won by Steve Entwistle and Mark Appleton in their Morris Mini Cooper S.
 
Silverstone Auctions two-day sale saw some record breaking results with the ex-works 1955 ‘Le Mans’ Triumph TR2 sold for £258,750, while the 2,000-mile Jaguar XJ220 sold for £362,812, both including premium.

A new photo gallery featuring the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show with Discovery from the NEC last weekend is now available online.

​Click on the image below to view.

by Gar Cole.

I think it's fair to say that 2019's Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show has been our most successful to date, despite having one of the smaller pitches compared to the past. We crammed it with 5 diverse and fabulous vehicles; I saw people show every emotion from surprise, delight, envy and appreciation, you just couldn't ignore the stand.

Massive thanks to the 5 vehicles owners Paul Green, John Dickson, Mick Taylor, Nick Arthur and Tosh and Gus Brooks. You guys gave brilliant support all weekend from setting up to chatting with the public, special thanks also to Phil Allin, Gill Taylor, Lincoln hunt , Ian Woodward and Bernard Owen for helping with setting up and manning the stand. It was a lovely and genuine surprise when our stand won it's first award for the collection of vehicles the judges would most like to take home. A big thanks to Dave Youngs at Lancaster for all your support.

Last but definitely not least our head admin Paul Sweeney who does a lot behind the scenes folks never see, helping me with the show forms and emails from the different departments as well as managing the website and online shop, and of course my fellow 'fat bloke' Mike Peake for his tireless support and enthusiasm for these show, it was a team effort and we nailed it!😀

Six cars will be on show and include a very rare flat nose Porsche 911 Turbo, MG Maestro Turbo, VW Campervan, Morris Mini Cooper, MK1 Escort Mexico and a Ford Mustang Fastback. The stand will also act as a collection point for attendees to pick up their Special Edition Top Trumps packs. Five of these packs will randomly feature an exclusive golden ticket and the lucky winner will receive a pair of day tickets to Goodwood Revival 2020, an overnight stay and dinner. (T&Cs apply).
 
This year, Lancaster will be displaying on two stands side by side - more information to be revealed very soon! It has also teamed up with Kelsey Media to create ‘Lancaster TV’. Over the three days, a ‘chat show’ will be hosted with special guests and the video will be uploaded onto social media daily.  
 
Andrew Evanson, Senior Operations Manager at Lancaster Insurance, comments: “The show, like Top Trumps, evokes a feeling of nostalgia for many visitors as they look back and reminisce about the cars and memories from years gone by. This special theme is a perfect one as we mark 35 years of being part of the classic car community and we can’t wait to celebrate with visitors, clubs and exhibitors alike in November.”  ​

We invited offers of British classics to exhibit on our club stand at this year's Lancaster Classic Motor Show with Discovery and you didn't disappoint!

More than 20 fantastic motors were offered by their proud owners and it's no word of a lie to say we would have been proud to display all of them - but of course we have to work with the space we have been allocated by the show organisers which has room for just 5 cars, so some very difficult choices have had to be made.

So firstly, the Admin team wants to say a very big thank you to everyone who took part - we really do appreciate it and wish we could have taken every motor put forward. Please try again next time.

So here we are - the 5 magnificent beasties selected for this year's stand are:

The restoration of the Ford Consul GT that featured heavily in the first series of the 1970’s cult classic cop show The Sweeney is to be revealed at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery.

This 1974 model was supplied to Euston Films, part of the Thames TV company, from new for use in a new TV series called ‘The Sweeney’. Ford had originally supplied a blue Consul but the producers apparently asked for it to be replaced with one painted in a brighter colour to stand out for the camera against a drab London background.

The Consul was used for the entire series one production and most of series two before being replaced by Ford with a Granada 3.0S shortly after the Consul range discontinued production in 1975.

Appearing in the opening title sequences of the first three series, the Consul was on-screen with the show’s lead actors John Thaw, who played Regan, and Dennis Waterman as Carter, along with their boss Haskins, played by Garfield Morgan.

This Consul was used in some of the most remembered 1970’s TV classic car chases around west London and consequently was fitted with some non-standard equipment including a full engine sump guard, full fuel tank shield and a bulkhead brace bar.

The current owner, known to those who have been following the build on social media as Mr Shifter, bought the car in 1988 in the Slough area and used it regularly until it was taken off the road in 1989 after failing its MoT on structural corrosion. It was placed into storage until it was finally rebuilt and the restoration completed earlier this year by the team at MBVR Ltd.

Mr Shifter said: “My thanks go to all the companies and people who have worked hard to get the car back to full health after almost thirty years off the road.”

The Ford Consul will be pride of place at the entrance to Hall 5 of the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, so they’ll be no chance of missing it. It will have security with it just in case anyone tries to slide across the bonnet in a 70s cop show style!

All you need to do is subscribe to our group email newsletters
The lucky winner will be chosen at random from the subscribers' list on 27 October
Existing subscribers will automatically be entered in the draw