With less than a month until 300 classic cars descend on famous London landmark Alexandra Palace for Classic & Sports Car – The London Show, organisers of the inaugural event have assembled six iconic machines in front of Alexandra Palace previewing the main event, which will take place from 30th October to 1st November.
An Aston Martin DB4GT, Ferrari 250GT California Spider, Jaguar E-type Roadster, Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’, 1973 Pontiac Trans Am and Porsche 993 Carrera RS appeared in all their glory outside Alexandra Palace, which first opened in 1873. These stunning classics are just a small selection of the 300 or so cars to which visitors will be able to get up close at the event, thanks to stands featuring historic machines from world-famous collectors and world-renowned classic car retailers. Andall under one roof too.
Classic & Sports Car – The London Show will also feature a number of high-profile themes in its first year, as well as some exciting exhibits.
Best British Car Ever sponsored by Autoglym
Reflecting the show’s catch-all theme of ‘Best of British’, Classic & Sports Car – The London Show will reveal the Best British Car Ever, sponsored by Autoglym. Classic & Sports Car magazine asked a jury of more than 100 motoring experts – including McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray, Lotus head of design Russell Carr and Pink Floyd drummer and car collector Nick Mason – to come up with the shortlist of 10 cars. Their nominations ranged from the affordable car that put the nation on wheels, the Austin Seven, to the McLaren F1, the most uncompromised high-performance car ever built.
For stage two that shortlist (which also included the Range Rover, Lotus Seven, Jaguar XKSS, Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Ford GT40, Mini Cooper, Bentley Speed Six and Jaguar E-type) has been put to a public poll. And thousands have cast their votes. The climax will come at Alexandra Palace when the people’s winner will be unveiled on a stand displaying all 10 cars from the shortlist, which have a combined value of a mammoth £30million!
Aston Martin Celebration
Revered British marque Aston Martin will feature prominently at the event. Aston Martin: The Story of an Icon partnered by EFG, will feature important cars spanning Aston’s 100-year-plus history. Thanks to the co-operation of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust, the oldest surviving car in the firm’s history, the 1921 ‘A3’, will be among them, as will the opposing bookend car, the DB9 GT. Visitors will also be able to feast their eyes on a rare DB MkIII, a V8, a DB7, a Vanquish and, of course, the best-loved Aston of all time: a silver birch DB5, a model immortalised by James Bond.
Stirling Moss single-seater display
To celebrate the career of Britain’s most successful and best-loved racing driver, Sir Stirling Moss, Classic & Sports Car – The London Show has assembled a quartet of British single-seater racing cars with which ‘Mr Motor Racing’ enjoyed so much success during the 1950s and early-’60s.
The Cooper MkIV, in which he won at Monaco in 1960, the Lotus 18 that he used to take victory on the streets of the Principality a decade later, the unique four-wheel-drive Ferguson P99 that gave Moss a win in the Oulton Park Gold Cup in 1961 and the teardrop Vanwall VW4 with which the great man shared victory in the British Grand Prix at Aintree in 1957 with Tony Brooks – thus becoming the first Brits to win their home GP in a British car – will wow visitors in a special display area.
Live Stage interviews
One of the key attractions of Classic & Sports Car – The London Show will be the Live Stage, in partnership with Smooth Radio. A line-up of superb guests, who will be grilled on their career highs – and lows – and favourite classics by motoring journalist and broadcaster Henry Hope-Frost, is already confirmed across the three days of the show.
Among the stage guests sure to draw a crowd is legendary race car designer and F1 technical director Ross Brawn, business guru Sir John Egan, who rescued the crumbling Jaguar car company at the start of the 1980s, bespoke-car builder and star of TV show ‘For The Love of Cars’ Ant Anstead, former BBC Top Gear presenter Chris Goffey, ex-BMC and Ford competition department chief Stuart Turner, Coys auctioneer and star of TV’s The Classic Car Show Chris Routledge and former Grand Prix driver and Le Mans 24 Hours winner David Brabham, son of three-time world champion Sir Jack.
James Elliott, Classic & Sports Car magazine group editor, said: “The six cars that gathered recently in the sunshine in front of Alexandra Palace really captured the spirit of what we think the inaugural Classic & Sports Car – The London Show is all about. And, incredibly, these six cars are just a taster of what visitors can expect.
“This stunning venue and 300 beautiful and, in many cases, rare machines will make for a unique experience in London, I’m certain. I’m hugely excited by the prospect of the show’s special attractions and demonstrations and look forward to welcoming like-minded enthusiasts to be part of such a convivial atmosphere.”
The organisers would like to thank to Hexagon (http://hexagonclassics.com), Bonhams (http://www.bonhams.com) and Coys (http://www.coys.co.uk) for the loan of the six cars. Tickets are now on sale, visit www.classicandsportscarshow.com or call 0844 581 1275 to book yours.
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