This week the London Classic Car Show opens its doors for the 3rd time, organisers will be looking to build on the record 33,000 visitors who made the trip to ExCeL London in 2016. And tickets to London Classic Car Show this year, include access to the Historic Motorsport International situated across the Hall.
Here are our pick of the highlights to look out for at the four day show : (23-26 February
1. Auto Addicts pal, TV chef James Martin will be popping in to the London Classic Car show – joining racing legends Ickx, Derek Bell, Dario Franchitti, Emanuele Pirro and Jürgen Barth to mark 70 years of Ferrari road cars with a remarkable Ferrari Tribute Collection curated by the Show organisers and specialist dealer Joe Macari.
2. Ferraris galore! – Among the cars on display will be a 250 GT SWB, a Daytona, F40, 250 Lusso and a 250 GTO, which alone is worth more than £35 million.
The star marque at this year’s show is Ferrari. As well as an incredible Tribute collection of 20 Ferrari road cars together worth a cool £120 million, there will be Ferraris in action on The Grand Avenue, and on static display on club and dealer stands.
3. If you are an Aston Martin fan – The Aston Martin Owner’s Club, will have an example of the stunning Vulcan track day hypercar on its stand, along with a DB5, a V8 Zagato, a Lagonda and one of only six Anniversary Vanquish models made. JBR Capital, meanwhile, will be displaying one of the four Sanction II DB4 Zagato models produced while the famous Brooklands single seater, the Razor Blade, will be in Grand Avenue action. Catch up with the AMOC-Racing at the show to find out all about the forthcoming racing season.
Underlining Aston’s long pedigree, the AMOC stand will also have the pre-war Aston Red Dragon racer on show while specialist auction company The Market will be offering a 1937 Aston 15/98 DHC for sale.
4. If you are a sucker for a hypercars, then you will love this – The three big-ones – dubbed the Holy Trinity – will be seen together on the stand of luxury car dealers Prindiville.
5. The special features include The Perfect Ten – 60 iconic classic cars split into ten body-type categories – which will be driven along The Grand Avenue and showcased in the Open Paddock where visitors can get up close to their favourites. Genuine rarities include the Mazda Cosmo, Tatra T97, 1955 Alfa Romeo 6C Aerodinamica Spider, Hispano Suiza ‘Tulipwood’, Alvis Graber TF21 and the mammoth aero-engined 9.6-litre Maudsley.
6. Guest of honour Jacky Ickx will be fêted with a display of six significant cars from his remarkable career – Grand Prix single-seaters and endurance sports cars will rub shoulders with a Porsche 959 of Paris-Dakar fame – while a new feature of Car Club Square will be the unique pop-up Beaulieu Autojumble.
7. Ickx will be meeting up with his old team-mate Derek Bell and other Le Mans winners Emanuele Pirro, Jürgen Barth and Jackie Oliver. Flying Scot Dario Franchitti is another guest while TV’s Quentin Willson will be a regular visitor to the Classic Car magazine stand on all four days of the show where he will advise on how to spot a sleeper, a classic car that’s about to jump in value.
8. Abarth UK will have a display of new (we love this car) and old with a stand featuring the recently-launched Abarth 124 spider and the classic 1973 Fiat Abarth 124 Rally. Alongside them will be their two rallying counterparts illustrating the performance brand’s incredible motorsport heritage: the New Abarth 124 rally and the 1974 Fiat Abarth 124 Rally Gr.4.
The classic cars are displayed under the banner Abarth Classiche, the official, Turin-based programme launched last year to support the repair, restoration and certification of classic Abarth models for customers lucky enough to own one.
9. A quartet of concept cars will be another major highlight at the show, the rarely-seen foursome will form a special showcase curated by two of the UK’s premier monthly motoring titles: Octane and EVO magazines. The earliest is the Aston Martin Atom, one of the very first fully-functioning concept cars and the latest is the stunning (Very cool!) Jaguar C-X75 which was unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and more recently starred in the James Bond film Spectre.
10. Auto Addicts subscribers RJJ Freight will be exhibiting at The London Classic car show, offering a chance for dealers, collectors and those racers who compete in far flung places to pop along and talk to the experts in high value vehicle shipping. Perfect for those considering classic race events in the US, Mexico, South Africa or the Far East. Kevin and his team will be happy to discuss your vehicle movements.
How to get there…
Admission to the London Classic Car Show incorporates free entry to HMI. Historic Motorsport International will open its doors at 12 noon on Thursday, 23 February while the London Classic Car Show will burst into life at 3pm that afternoon. The LCCS closes at 9.30pm on the opening Thursday, runs from 10am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday and from 10am to 5pm on Sunday.
Tickets to the 2017 London Classic Car Show/HMI are now available from the show website – thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk– and start at £24 for single adult entry (£27 on the door on the day). Gala evening standard entry costs £42 or for access to the Grand Avenue Club, where the interviews take place, tickets cost £70.
