Events : AROnline at the Practical Classics Restoration & Classic Car Show

Mike Humble

From Princess to Porsche, everything is catered for at the N.E.C Restoration Show 2016
From Princess to Porsche, everything and everyone is catered for at the Practical Classics 
Restoration & Classic Car Show 2016

It seems barely five minutes since last year’s Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, but the next important date on the retro and classic car scene is rapidly approaching. The weekend of 5-6 March at Birmingham’s NEC is the 2016 Practical Classics Restoration & Classic Car Show, a jam-packed cacophony of old gold with every type of make in every type of condition.

The ethos of the event is ‘work-in-progress’ and, although it’s not as big as the aforementioned Classic Motor Show, it’s getting bigger and better every year. Everything for all the family will be there on display, with actual restoration or repair work taking place (where Health & Safety allows), right there live and up close. The usual autojumble and trade stands will be there in abundance catering for every need from a BMC brochure to a Bentley bonnet.

For those with a hands-on attitude or just an enthusiastic passion towards motoring, the Practical Classics Restoration & Classic Car Show is a cracking event with a pleasant atmosphere. It makes for a truly good day out, be it on your own or with the family. Almost every brand of car from a pile-of-rust barnfind right up to the better-than-factory concours will be there for your delectation.

It covers cars, light commercials and motorcycles – if you have never been before, get yourself there. The NEC is probably one of the easiest places to get to and, if you don’t fancy losing your motor in the expansive and, dare I say it expensive, car parks, regular trains from the North and London Euston serve the main line station just next door.

The project MintEgo will be undergoing some minor surgery on the Maestro and Montego Club stand number 9-645 over the weekend. Pop along and say hi.
The Project MintEgo will be undergoing some minor surgery on the Maestro & Montego
Club stand number 9-645 over the weekend. Pop along and say ‘hi’

AROnline will be flying the flag for our badly missed BL>MGR during the event, too. The Project MintEgo will be standing on ceremony with the Maestro & Montego Owners Club at stand number 9-645. I’ll be doing some tasks from my rapidly shrinking to-do list which includes replacing both rear dampers, a rear seatbelt reel, retro-fitting the fibreoptic illuminated column stalks and repairing the faulty central door locking.

Be sure to pop along to give moral support or to pass me my spanners. However, whatever the reason for your visit, it’s a damn good event – see you there perhaps?

For details of what’s on, how to get there and admission/tickets CLICK HERE

Mike Humble

4 Comments

  1. I’d like to go and will actually seriously consider it. Otherwise, PoL will again be my first and main event of the year.

    I’d love to see the MintEgo. I always liked the Roverised Montego. With all your work and expertise yours must be quite some car, Mike. I trust it will also be on Cofton Park this year?

  2. Rumour has it that parking at a nearby railway station and taking a train to Birmingham International (easy covered walk to the NEC) can save time and money.

    There again, in the Motor Show days there were often more interesting cars to be seen in the NEC car parks.

    It was even better when I worked for Land Rover’s parts division in an office slap bang between the NEC and Birmingham Airport with free parking…

  3. Well, I booked a ticket for the Saturday a few days back. Just booked an advance rail ticket this morning – felt I’d give the train a go, thinking nowhere as easy as driving onto Cofton Park for PoL. The guy in the ticket office took about twenty minutes to sort my ticket. “Can’t find a reservation, is there something on down there?” he said.

    Looking forward to it now!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.