Mike Humble:

Though some people may disagree with me, I need no real excuse to visit Birmingham. I like the people, the place and its sometimes brutalistic architecture – as Telly Savalas was once quoted as saying in a promotional film about the City shot by Harold Baim… its my kinda town!

Arguably, one of the finest venues for exhibitions or pop concerts has to be the NEC. Its easy to get to, has ample parking and is close to all transport methods, it even has an International Airport right next door – forget about that down there London… the NEC is the place to be!

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show and AUTOBRITANNIA popped along to get our fix of classic Capri`s, ageing Austins and venerable Vauxhalls. Everything was there to see from bustling model stalls where it was very easy to spend a small fortune on collectable die cast miniatures, right through to purchasing a stainless steel exhaust for your E-Type.

Literally thousands of cars from all ages were on public display that was guaranteed to even make the most mundane of motorist go weak at the knees. Its incredible to realise that even though we are living in an age where money is quite literally too tight to mention, the classic motoring scene seems to be as thriving as it has ever been. We visited on the opening Friday and by lunchtime, the M42 was creaking under the strain of incoming traffic.

Another notable sight was the vast array of retro cars from the 70s 80s and 90s with cars like the Austin Maestro which has recently celebrated its 30th birthday since the original launch. Vauxhall heritage had a huge collection of vehicles on display and nowhere else in one spot could you witness so many examples of street furniture that within the wink of an eye has vanished from the (Talbot) Horizon – ahem!

The event attracted over 65.000 visitors (some 5% up on last year) and if you missed the 2013 show, be sure to attend the next one – by far the biggest and by far the best view point for classic and retro motoring fans!