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Classic
Car Show at the NEC
Left to right: John
and Rachel Maxwell, Nick Black, Lynda Homer and Peter Lockley
Report on a very
Successful Classic Car Show for your Club:
The largest Classic Car
Show of the Year, by some margin, takes place in November at the
National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham. This show seems to get
bigger and better each year and this year extended to four full halls,
with an additional hall housing a simultaneous Classic Bike Show, plus
a further hall running the "MPH show", a celebration to the
"Top Gear" generation. All of these halls were available for
a single entrance fee.
As
the press are whinging on about a credit crunch you might
expect that interest in discretionary spending, such as on
Classic Cars would be on the decline. I have to report that
the opposite is true, if attendance at this show was anything
to go by. The show was bulging with visitors on all three days
and interest in all the cars was at a very high level indeed.
I helped with
the set up of the Club's stand on Thursday and then helped man
the stand on Friday and Saturday. On all of these days we were
well supported by other Club members who also ensured the
stand was manned on the remaining day, Sunday.
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Click on
theses photos to see an enlargement
Companion,
Van and Pick-up |
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Pick-up and
Van |
The Club always
tries to feature different models on the stand each year. As a
theme this year we used the Standard 8/10 range from the
1950's. That comprised:
Lots of visitors
were delighted to see the diversity on display, whilst others
asked where the Vanguards, Flyers and earlier cars were? To
this we can only say " come back next year to see a
different display" |
We were particularly
pleased to be visited on Saturday by Nick Black, one of Sir John
Black's sons. Nick was previously unaware of the Club and it's
activities, and knew little of the interest we have in the Company and
in keeping it's products alive. However, I am pleased to say he was
soon enlightened - and I must say that he took an active interest in
meeting our members and all the visitors to the stand. Nick had many
tales to tell of his early life during the hey-day of the company and
these he is currently recording as a biography on his father's life.
The website will publish more information about this book as it
becomes available. In addition, we look forward to welcoming Nick to
future Standard Motor Club events.
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On Saturday
evening we also attended a reception and presentation of the
best cars and Club Stands at the Show. Although your Club was
not a recipient of one of the top awards we did get an
"honourable mention" as the judges declared they had
never seen a "Standard 10 Pick up" before, and how
pleased they were to see it.
The Regalia
Section sold a highly respectable amount of items, probably
the second highest amount at an event this year. Members
should be aware that the Regalia sales will be forced to close
down at the end of the year as we presently have no volunteer
to continue this activity in 2009. That would be a shame,
please - can you help us stop that happening?. Here's
how |
Standard 8
Goldstar |
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Pennant |
The following
helped on the stand during my three days (my apologies, I
don't have additional names from Sunday)
Derek Lockley,
Mike Wilks, Brian Birch, Gerry
Hayes, Ron Harrison, Ian Leggett, Dennis and Shelia Brown,
Brian Shakespeare, Ray Ferris, Steve O'Hara, Tony and Mary
Pingriff, Mark Denton, John and Rachel Maxwell and Phil and
Lynda Homer. My thanks go to all of them, those I have
forgotten and in particular to the stand organiser, Peter
Lockley. My thanks go also to all the members who visited us
and to all the new members we recruited. That is the reason
for us to be there of course and we hope the new members go on
to enjoy the club as much as we do. |
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