The 2026 Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show by Andrew Roberts

It is quite a challenge to encapsulate the 2026 Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show at the NEC. Here are 40 memories of last weekend -  

1. The 1981 Range Rover ‘In Vogue’, Land-Rover's in-house rival to the various coachbuilt R-Rs, in all its ‘Vogue Blue’ magnificence. The price new was £13,788, £800 more than a standard Range Rover, and the In Vogue had air conditioning, polished wood door cappings, and even a picnic hamper as standard. 

2. Matt Richardson’s 1993 Punto, which made me a) feel very old and b) caused me to think that his Fiat is now further removed in time than a 1966 850 would have been in 1996. 

3. The Triumph 2.5 PI Mk. I of Kieron Trumper, one of Our Bright Sparks - not only maintaining a car from his grandparents’ era, but also one that was short-lived (Triumphs only sold the Mk. I version from 1968-1969) and the first UK-built fuel-injected saloon. 

4. A 19-year-old engineering student restoring a 1960 Ford Prefect 107E. This would be the equivalent of one of my age (born 1969) buying a 1922 Model T. The Prefect owner has even retained the 107E’s vacuum-powered wipers, which slowed on pressing the throttle... 

5. On the Fiat Motor Club stand, a 25-year-old enthusiast was displaying one of the few surviving Panda 4x4s. 

6. Another of the many attractions of the FMC was a 600 – the car that mobilised the populations of Italy, Spain and the former Yugoslavia.  

7. The Matra Owners’ Club boasted a splendid array of Murenas and even a Renault Espace Helios. 

8. BMW Minis as a reminder that they are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year – the equivalent of a 1959 Morris Mini Minor and an Austin Seven taking part in a 1984 classic car show.  

9. A 1959 Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire, one of the finest touring saloons of its generation. 

10. A South African-built Ford Cortina XLE – resplendent in pale blue with a cream vinyl and powered by the 3-litre V6 ‘Essex’ engine. Ford SA introduced the XLE as their flagship Cortina in 1974, and the specification included a leather-covered steering wheel, cut-pile carpets and an illuminated glove box as standard.  

11. The West Coast Classic Car Club showcased a Fiat Uno, a Hillman Avenger Tiger, and even a black Mini with very splendid bat motif purple upholstery.

12. A blue 1975 Wolseley ‘Wedge’, the last car to bear the famous illuminated ‘Ghost Light’ badge, and one of the rarest members of the Leyland 18-22 family. It will soon be returned to the road.  

13. One of the very few surviving Vauxhall Viva HB Estates – a splendid last-of-the-line 1970 De Luxe on the Pride of Ownership stand. A Vauxhall that embodies the sales slogan: “Sportissimo”. 

14. Those Lancia Themas, the 1300 Berlina – the ideal car for the young doctor or lawyer of the late 1970s, and the exceptionally handsome Beta 1600 Coupe. 

15. An equally rare Ford Corsair Estate with bodywork by E.D. Abbott of Farnham - the sort of car a 1960s ITC hero might use when investigating crime in a remote village. 

16. A triple-take at a FA3-Series Mazda 1300 Estate on the Pride of Ownership display – is this the sole example in the UK? 

17. A green 1966 Commer Imp Van, with a load bay that could famously accommodate an upright milk churn. 

18. A wondrous line-up of the Austin A30 and the Austin A35 range; the cream-coloured A35 four-door was especially appealing. 

19. The Fiat X1/9 in metallic green with the black ‘ladder’ decal that instantly evoked memories of the die-cast Corgi model. 

20. The four-door Alfasud, the Alfa Romeo Alfetta Gold Cloverleaf, and if that were not sufficiently rare, the AROC also displayed an earlier Alfetta in blue. UK sales began in 1974, and £2,449 gained you an adjustable steering column, a hand throttle, and the prestige of the Alfa Romeo name.   

21. An Austin Metro L with a side stripe. 

22. A Maestro ‘British Gas Board’ Van in full livery. 

23. A Riley Pathfinder and the even rarer Riley Two Point Six, the latter in magnificent duo-tone guise. The latter had a different image from its Wolseley stablemate. If the 6/90 was bank managers and B-film detective inspectors, the Riley was for dashing types in jaunty cravats.  

24. A bright green Dyane 6, one of my favourite ‘Flat Twin’ Citroëns. Who could not like a five-door cabriolet with removable seats for picnics? 

25. Two examples of one of the Rootes Group’s dashing Humber Sceptres – a Mk. I and a Mk. II. Both featured one of the most dramatic fascias of its era. 

26. A gleaming early Triumph Herald Convertible in the Pride of Ownership display. 

27. The Austin Mini Countryman Mk. II of the West Berkshire Classic Vehicle Club, complete with timber-framed bodywork. 

28. A Bedford HA – the van derivative of the Vauxhall Viva HA that lasted until 1983. 

29. A Vauxhall Cavalier Series III – can the third-generation version really have debuted as long ago as 1988? 

30. An equally handsome Vauxhall in the form of the Pride of Ownership Senator 24V - “A Director Level Saloon”. 

31. A very early Austin Maxi with the silver thin-barred grille and cable gearbox, in the company of its facelifted stablemate. 

32. Tadhg Bean-Bradley's black Victor FE 2300 Estate - the Vauxhall with “sweeping eager lines” that would “keep you looking good clear across a continent”.  

33. A two-stroke Saab GT750 primed to go swiftly and go safely. 

34. The FE’s Vauxhall Victor FD predecessors, which immediately made me think of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased). 

35. A first-generation Austin Allegro with its distinctive vertically barred grille.  

36. 3rd Place in the Pride of Ownership: Mark Bartholomew with his 1973 Datsun 240Z. 

37. 2nd Place in the Pride of Ownership: Clive Moss, with his 1981 Opel Manta GTS 3000. 

38. 1st Place:  Jason Mould with his 1983 Ford Escort RS1600i.  

39. The remarkable Wolseley ‘Heinz 57’ Hornet Convertible – the car that I most wanted to take home with me. In 1966, Crayford made 57 (of course) Wolseley convertibles for Heinz’s “Greatest Glow on Earth” competition. The special features included a “Magnificent picnic case with everything you need”, “Two insulated rear compartments to keep the salad crisp, the soup and sausages hot”, and even an “Electric kettle and point in boot. Stop and have a cup of tea any time you like”. 

40. And this before I even mention the Ford Consul Capri, the Triumph Roadster, the Hammersmith-assembled UK-market Fiat 500 Topolino... 

41. Best of all, the show was an opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones. See you all in November!