Autosport International at the NEC Jan 2020

Did you know that the year 2020 sees the 70th anniversary of both Formula One and Autosport? It is very fitting then that Autosport International should give prominence to the branch of international motorsport. But the amateur end of the sport is not forgotten by any means, in fact, my favourite stand was that of the 750 Motor Club. This is the club where Colin Chapman (Lotus), Eric Broadley (Lola) Frank Costin and Jem Marsh (Marcos) etc. etc. cut their teeth. It is great to see it thriving and providing an entry into motorsport for those with limited financial means. But it doesn’t stop there, have a look at some of the photos below to see very exotic sports racing cars that compete in one of the many different categories that the Club organises. I have nothing to do whatsoever with the 750 Motor Club, it’s just that I admire its history and its continuing prowess.

Another stand that caught my eye was that of CCK Historic. There was a sports racing or sprint car on the stand that at first glance reminded me of the early Ginettas. Upon enquiry I found out that it had a Chevrolet engine and had been designed and built by Bill Thomas in the early 1960s. I did more research when I got home and found out that the car is called a Chevrolet Cheetah and was indeed conceived by Bill Thomas of Anaheim Ca. (where Disney World is) together with Don Edmunds. It appears that there were only sixteen original cars built but there have been a number of replicas made by several different companies. On the same stand, looking, to my mind, somewhat incongruous, was a L.H.D. Nash Metropolitan complete with its American Motors identification plate. The reason that I thought that it looked incongruous was because it was in racing trim. Those of us of a limited imagination (not something that I would normally identify in myself) would not expect to see a Nash Metropolitan prepared for racing. I will have to say that it “looked the biz”.

I wandered around the Engineering section and frankly was “blown away” by some of the technology on display. I would most definitely have to go back to college if I was going to be in a position to make a contribution to automotive engineering as I did more than forty years ago. I think that I will stick to writing, that’s hard enough. But seriously, it is good to see so many British firms at the cutting edge of this technology. I came across two old friends both with illustrious heritages – AP Racing and Serk Motor Sport. They may be pale reflections of the mighty companies they once were, as major suppliers to the British Motor Industry (AP – Brake, Clutch and Suspension systems), (Serk – Cooling systems including water and oil coolers). But they are both now well established in their niche markets and taking the fight to the competition. Go, go, go!

Enough of the breeze, here are some of the photos I took at the show –

In honour of its 70th Anniversary, we will start with the F1 Collection –