I had a great weekend, visiting Pride of Longbridge and the Practical Classics Restoration Show in Birmingham. It was the start of the car show season for me, with two events of an entirely different nature.

Pride of Longbridge was first up. Nine years after the collapse of MG Rover, the passion was clearly still alive. I had to queue to get in, as you can see in the rear of this MG ZS.

Queueing in Longbridge, spot the Sirion

After fighting off a queue-jumping twat in a Vauxhall Vectra, I opted to park outside the event. The show didn’t disappoint, with a larger space available this time. It meant a huge area to walk around, but it was worth it to find the treats. Endless rows of modern Rovers and MGs hid wonders in their midst. Such as this early Marina. Delicious indeed, even if the cars were not one of the best vehicles of their time.

Beautiful Morris Marina. No, I mean it. I like it a lot.

There were certainly cars for all tastes. Herbert Austin I’m sure never dreamt of a car bearing his name someday looking like this.

Much-modified Austin A40 Cambridge

Many, many more pics can be found on my Facebook page, here.

After that excitement, I slept soundly and then headed the next day to the NEC. Here, I attended the Practical Classics Restoration Show – a brand new event and one that seemed a massive success. I suspect we’ll see this event again, perhaps with more space and more club involvement.

The Rover P6 Club [EDIT – and Rover Sport Register] had a strong stand, including this Rover P7 prototype. I was astonished to see it – the first time it has been seen in public for decades.

Wow! The sole remaining Rover P7 prototype. Restoration needed…

This six-cylinder development of the P6 never saw production. It was purely for development. Somehow, this one escaped from Solihull, escaping the scrapman’s claws. Restoration was started some time ago, but didn’t get very far. It’s an astonishing car and you can read much more about it at the excellent AR Online website.

Overall, the show was a refreshing break from the traditional ‘shiny shiney’ sort of show. Yes, there were restored cars there, but there were also eye-catching scenes like this.

A selection of barn finds, all with a tale to tell

It’s hard to know what it is about an as-is project, but it somehow has more character than a shiny car. Of course, the real challenge is to restore a car without losing the character. I’d love to face that challenge with this Sumbeam Rapier.

How do you restore a car like this?

This show left me with a real buzz. I look forward to its return in the future! In the meantime, clubs should always consider showing cars that are less than perfect at shows. People love it!

Again, more pics here.