at the

Classic Motor Show, NEC

You Tube Video of the MGF Register at the Classic Motor Show

For those dedicated MGF Register helpers it was a tough four days that actually seemed to fly by in no time at all, such was the hive of activity at the is year's Classic Motor Show. Arriving at the show was a bit daunting at first as it was our debut at this massive show , which takes over six halls at the National Exhibition Centre  and not only includes the Classic Motor Show but also MPH08, Top Gear Live and the Classic Motor Bike Show. As a visitor it was impossible to visit everything in just one day and as an exhibitor a fleeting glimpse of the rest of the show was all we could manage.

Having spent around six hours setting everything up on Thursday the team of Stewart Griffiths, Dave Dunlop and Tim Morris retired to base camp for the weekend, otherwise known as the Coventry Hills Hotel. The following day Colin Beckwith joined us and would be with us until Sunday with Rob & Elaine Ball augmenting the team on Saturday and Sunday then Richard Stone and  Keith Williams adding to the numbers on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Many thanks to all those helpers.

The MGF Centre helped out by preparing and transporting two cars for us, Darren Vaughan's stunning MGF Supersports II and the Centre's own TF 80th Anniversary which has had a complete interior revamp in blue and black. Both cars attracted a lot of attention and the helpers spent a lot of time pointing out that the Supersports was NOT a modified car but that the interior of the 80th TF WAS modified. There was huge interest in the MGF Register and by the end of the weekend we had just about all lost our voices luckily we could retire in the evening for a well earned beer or two to ensure we were reasonably well lubricated.

Of further MGF interest around the show included a nice Tahiti blue F on the Rimmer Brothers stand, the car used to belong to Newton Commercials and has a bespoke interior. NAC MG were present in the MPH hall and whenever I visited there were always people sitting in the LE500 and trying it out. With room for just one blue car on their stand another in scorched red had to find space a few yards away on someone else's area.

Venture in to Top Gear Live and you were in for a further treat with two vibrant orange LE500s pirouetting around the stage at the very beginning and Richard Hammond arriving in the stretched Limo MGF seen on Top Gear itself a while back.

Elsewhere the show was just full of classic cars from hearses to Hot Rods plus other live shows featuring Mike Brewer and a restoration presentation. Morris Minors celebrated their anniversary and some of the clubs went completely overboard on their stands particularly the Riley one with its nautical theme and the Austin 7 van display. A huge area of Auto jumble and memorabilia along with more modern products and supercars on display in MPH, venues, holidays, magazines, in fact just about anything you could think of  could be found here. The MGCC gave away the Star Car for 2008 to Jonathan Maw in a grand presentation and we're now looking forward to doing the same next year with our MGF.

One of our main purposes for being there was to seal the status of the MGF as a classic car and I think we managed this with aplomb. Roll on 2009 !

MGF Register Team : Stewart Griffiths, Tim Morris, David Dunlop, Colin Beckwith, Robin Ball, Elaine Ball, Richard Stone, Keith Williams.

Photos: Tim Morris, David Dunlop