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I know it's not kit cars but is anyone else planning on going to the NEC 14th to 16th November? Apart from seeing some beautiful cars you can have a chat with Edd China and Mike Brewer from Wheeler Dealers and there is an auto jumble for those making replicas.
If you've never been this really is a must do imho. The quality and range of cars is breathtaking. Much of it is the same year on year but new stuff is added too. There's a growing presence of hot rods over the past couple of years which makes a nice change, and there's an opportunity to see rare things you won't often see elsewhere.
My personal favourite was seeing the original Audi aero car used recently in the ugly duckling adverts. It's stunning close up.
There's a good selection of classic bikes if that's your bag, opportunities to buy car stuff and a pretty decent auto jumble too.
And as fat bloke said, there'll be opportunities to throw bricks at Mike Brewer. Which is another personal favourite thing to do.
Simpsons comic book guy says "Wheeler dealers. Worst car programme ever."
Mike Brewer: "I'm not going to take a penny under five grand."
(Two minutes later)
Punter: "Will you take four thousand?"
Mike Brewer: "Hold out your hand. You've got a deal. And we made a £25 profit."
For me Wheeler Dealers is a metaphor for so many things that are wrong. Brewer has no obvious talent other than being a gobshite but receives the most benefit whilst Ed China is a talented guy but gains less.
I'll be taking my own bricks to the show and will have some to spare if you've forgotten yours.
Yes, they made £25 profit if you forget that Ed China and a team of others worked hard for around a week or two, putting right the gobshite's missed faults...............
Brewer - "After stumpin' up a bag a sand for a leggy ol' mo'er and bungin me ol' China a monkey to give it an 'aircut, the mark's come up wiv an 'andfull of twennie pahnd notes an I've trousered a pony wivout liftin a finger. Pukka."
Viewer - "Hmm, I wonder what's on the shopping channel."
Brewer - "After stumpin' up a bag a sand for a leggy ol' mo'er and bungin me ol' China a monkey to give it an 'aircut, the mark's come up wiv an 'andfull of twennie pahnd notes an I've trousered a pony wivout liftin a finger. Pukka."
I went with a mate and that was his first ever car. We were trying to remember if it was the actual one he owned as it was the same colour and had what looked like a homemade towing bar fitting which his had.
I had one for about a week back in the eighties. God it was a piece of crap so I bit a local VW dealer's arm off when they foolishly offered £1,000 part ex for anything with a current MOT against their entire second hand stock. They scrapped it immediately as it was putting off potential customers.
I only bought it because I had fond memories of the Chrysler Sunbeam I'd owned, and crashed catastrophically (when a drink-driver hit me head-on) a few years before. Although the Sunbeam and Horizon were first cousins there was a hell of a difference in the way they drove.
My brother had one too, hideous orange with dung brown draylon seats, it was universally referred to as "The Tractor" due to the bag of spanners that seemed to have been poured into the engine. The front suspension collapsed whilst negotiating his level driveway. ound:
A steaming pile of poo, but I would buy one and park it on his driveway (still the same one) tomorrow if one came my way.
I had a great day out with the wife and mini fat blokes. There were some astonishing classics, some soon to be classics and other where you just went "Really?". The Morris Marina owners stand being one such place.
Can someone explain one thing, why can't someone restore and Escort without painting Mexico stripes on the bloody thing. There must be more faux Mexico's on the road today than Ford ever built of the original things.
Anyone notice the "replicas" on show as well? Or Kit Cars as we know them.
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