NEC Restoration Show – Restoring the Faith

Okay, its full name is actually the Practical Classic, Classic Car and Restoration Show with Discovery. But that’s a bit of a mouthful. From here on in, let’s just call it the NEC Restoration Show because that’s easier and frankly, it’s what everyone else calls it, too.

Long names aside, what is the NEC Restoration Show? As the name would suggest, it’s a celebration of rust, of being in the garage and of rescuing otherwise forgotten cars. And for that, it’s wonderful. The NEC plays host to a lot of car shows, but as a seasoned visitor, I can tell you that for the best part, those other shows generally feature the same cars year in, year out. Lovely cars, don’t get me wrong, but cars that generally live to satisfy the show circuit rather than the local B-roads. And to me, that seems a shame. Cars are meant to be driven, and with it, they’re meant to be worked on. The Restoration Show celebrates that.

It also celebrates the joy or horror (depending on your outlook) of finding cars that close to or even beyond the brink. The Restoration Show doesn’t make polish and wax a prerequisite. Cobwebs and dust are equally, no, wait, are more welcome.

Unlike other car shows at the NEC, the Restoration Show doesn’t fill the entire venue, instead it occupies halls 3a through to 5. That’s more than enough though. It gives the show a personal, approachable feel. Basically, it’s not overwhelming. It’s considered size also means you get a chance to see everything, and you’ll want to, as there is a lot to see.

You have the trade halls where you’ll find stand upon stand filled with everything you could possibly need to work on your classic. Do you need oddball parts? Someone will be selling them. Do you need tools? There are more here than you can imagine, both from individual traders and from big names like Sealey and Draper. Do you need parts? This show has you covered. From paint to carpet to service items, you’ll find it all here. It’s a proper wallet-worrier to walk around the halls. Even I didn’t come out empty-handed, despite being there for work. Some hook, files, a set of mole grips and a model Ford Zephyr all came home with me. Whoops.

Of course, it’s not just parts, tools and other car-related stuff. There are the cars themselves, and the Restoration Show pulls no punches when it comes to getting the metal in. And it’s through that metal that, in my opinion, the show gets even better. There is no brand affinity at play. If you like cars, you’ll find something here to float your boat, be it a Porsche or a Peel P50, a Ferrari or a Ford, you’ll see it. But here’s the best thing – you’ll more than likely see it in an unusual condition.

By that, I mean that a large portion of the cars here aren’t wax-heavy trailer queens. They are brought in on a trailer, but because they don’t work, not because they’re being preserved. Walk around and you’ll find barn finds aplenty. The car of the show for me was the long dead Ford Consul Capri that looked like it was sinking into the floor of the NEC. I was baffled at the effort it would’ve taken to get it there without it breaking in half.

I was also wowed by the barn find stand, that played host to an E9 BMW ‘Batmobile’ covered in rust and cobwebs. The Mini Traveller, the Mach 1 Mustang, the NSU Ro80, the list goes on. Stands elsewhere displayed cars that were mid restoration, or again in ‘as found’ condition, and it was all brilliant. Seeing cars like this reminds you that the classic car world is human, and with it approachable. Halls full of immaculate metal do little to enthuse or motivate, but halls full of cars that are at the start, middle or end of their restoration journey do. You walk around this show and you start to itch to get on the spanners yourself. This show makes you want to tackle the jobs you’ve been putting off. It’s brilliant.

Another unique element to the NEC Restoration Show is the fact that organiser encourage people to work on their cars while they’re on the stands. This meant I could have a chat with the guy working on his immaculate Rover 800 Vitesse Sport (because I have one, too) whilst he was working on some wiring. I saw a couple of guys fitting a new interior to an MGB GT. On the MX-5 stand a car was being a complete transformation, while over on the Volvo 480 stand, a care was being detailed and brought up to near immaculate condition.

As car shows go, this one is now a personal favourite of mine. I love the atmosphere, I love the cars and I love the motivation it gave me to crack on with my own cars, and that’s what it’s all about.