Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Richard H]

I've never been a big fan of classic car shows. The problem I've always found is that I get there at 10, wander around looking at the cars for an hour, round the autojumble if there is one for another hour, then about 12 I want to go home. But the organisers don't want you going until at least 2, so I usually hang around until the first car makes a move and then I follow.

The other big problem I have with today's shows is the amount of moderns at most of them. I know times are changing and to be honest I don't mind 1980s and '90s cars in shows (as long as they don't outnumber the proper old stuff) but rows of (modified) Focuses, Mondeos, Astras and so on along with newish supercars are really dull.

Then there are the shows where out of the classics, a good half are hotrods/American cars and lowered VWs. These are of no interest to me at all.

Does anyone fancy having an oldclassiccar meet/drive out somewhere? The reason I ask is because we all seem to have similar tastes in cars on here, so I think such an event would be most enjoyable for all concerned.
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Richard Hughes

[Rootes75]

I agree with your second point, the amount of moderns at shows has grown enormously in the last few years. One show we go to attracts about 170 cars, of that last year only 25 were pre-1970.
I like some more moden cars, dont get me wrong, but when we started doing shows in the early 90's we used to see rows of pre-war stuff which is more my cup of tea.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Richard H]

I could look around a field of pre 1970 cars all day! It seems to be a bygone era now sadly. I remember doing the London-Southend classic car run with my parents from 2003-2009 and even then there were a lot of very interesting and very old classics taking part, including a decent selection of prewar saloons. The last time I attended it was a shadow of its former self.

There's always VSCC meets if you want to see Vintage cars, but if you want to see/display cars made between about 1930 and 1960, you haven't got many options. You're too new for the VSCC, and too old to fit in with what tends to attend the general 'classic car' shows nowadays.
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Richard Hughes

[lowdrag]

I have ben contacted on behalf of Jaguar France to put a car on display in three weeks time for three days. I agreed as long as they insured the car for the period - and they said it would be too expensive! I mean, the car isn't going to be driven, will be in a marquee and corded off, so how much could it be? This isn't the first time I have been treated so cavalierly, and will now refuse all further such entreaties. The worst was Carfest who wanted me to pay £150 to display the car - and it was they who had asked for it, not me offering it!

[Rick]

I do feel like I'm running out of steam with certain shows, I'm not sure if it's because many later cars of no interest appear at them now, or just that I've seen many of the old cars on a number of occasions now.

I remember Brian M mooting the idea of an OCC get-together a few years ago, the difficulty I think would be that we're so spread out geographically that agreeing on any one show or location to use as a base, one that people could realistically take their oldie too ideally, might take forever.

RJ
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[Ashley]

I think holiday tours are the most interesting and shows hardly at all. Even club annual rallies tend to be a bit dull, but all meeting up at a hotel for a weekend gives everyone a chance to make friends and enjoy an unfamiliar area.

They’re better still in France because the roads are better and there’s far less traffic if you’re in the country.

[Brian M]

[Rootes75]

One of our problems is that we enter the same shows each year so we see the same cars, also many local shows have fallen by the wayside over the past few years.

I do like to see something different at shows to keep it interesting.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[MikeEdwards]

It all depends on the shows, I guess. I have shows that I won't do again, and I have a think about what I'm going to do all day - those without a decent autojumble to keep me occupied might be set somewhere I can have a look around, or I can leave the showground and look around locally, for example. But I also have shows I do every year because I like the show, or the venue, or it's a good catch-up with people I haven't seen since last year.

You're doing well to be only expected to stay until 2pm - most of the shows I do where they talk about this, it's usually 4-ish at the earliest, and you can understand that if they are charging the public to get in, that's no good if the exhibits start driving away at mid-day.

Rootes is right - if we keep doing the same shows over and over, then it's not that surprising that we keep seeing the same people and cars. But I think the increasing number of modern cars at classic shows is because organisers - and clubs - realise that they need to do something to attract a new generation of classic enthusiasts, and if that means allowing something a bit newer in, then so be it. A mate organises a local show and agonises over where to set the date cut-off - too late, and owners of older cars won't come "because of all the new stuff", too early and the public lose interest because they don't recognise things.

[colwyn500]

[consul 57]

as a recent classic buyer after a long spell with more recent cars it does seem odd having modern classic at a show, but then again some are now 20+ years old, like my first classic back in the early 80's.
old cars have a spot in our hearts for our respective era so it will mean some cars never get looked on as a classic to some people.
i also have a pick up which depsite looking recent is in fact 21 years old but getting rarer all the time, to me it is my work vehicle and not as cherrished as it should be like my mk2 consul is.
i am now looking forward to actualy doing some shows after 20+ years of attending some as a member of the public and the 3 meets i have done so far tells me some are still very interested in older classics.
the best thing is to do different shows or organise your own, a lot harder than it looks.

[gillberry]

We now only do 4 or 5 a year which are ones that we can take the car and caravan and stay over as a weekend break. We gave up on sitting in a field all day wondering what to do so now choose events where there is a main event and we are a exhibit. There are also a lot of people these days who do not agree to having to pay to go to a show where you are part of it.
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1968 Volvo Amazon estate (Gracie)
1967 Cheltenham Nyala caravan

[BigJohn]

I'm looking forward to the season starting, it means I'll meet up with friends from all over the country again. Some banter, buying tat I don't need, and getting a drive out, what's not to like?
Regarding "Moderns" I am on that spectrum with a 1974 Escort, and a 1992 Mk1 Golf Cabriolet. I have had pre and immediate post war cars but I find them unsuitable for long runs.
I remember being at a show a few years back, I was in a 1947 Standard 12 and talking to a chap in an 50's MG Magnette. A young lad drove a 26yr old fiesta on L plates on to the field, the MG owner took the hump, I pointed out the Fiesta was 9yrs older than its driver, so to him it was ancient. Encourage the younger members of our hobby who cannot afford more exotic older vehicles, or become elitist dinosaurs, it's our choice.

[Richard H]

[Richard H]

I don't think anyone could realistically complain at a rolling 20 year cut off for classic car shows, 1998 or earlier. Nineties cars generally don't bother me at shows (as long as it's not all 90s cars) it's later stuff, mostly 0-15 years old I think is too new. Regardless of any supposed pedigree or high price tag it may have.
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Richard Hughes