Tag: Classic car

Success at the NEC

The Practical Classic Restoration Show at the NEC was a huge success and I was thrilled to be invited to talk on the main stage on a variety of subjects from what is the ideal first classic to how do we preserve heritage skills and inspire the next generation.

The crowd were absolutely great, with the Q&A sessions throwing up some very interesting questions which certainly got me thinking. And it was great to see so many younger enthusiasts in the audience, showing that our hobby will continue for generations to come.

I was on stage with some real titans of the classic car TV industry, Darren Collins, Ant Anstead, Mike Brewer and Paul Cowland as well as the fabulous host and overlord of Practical Classics magazine Danny Hopkins. We had a good old chat on stage and although I don’t think my argument won over Mike Brewer to the idea of EV classics we certainly had a laugh.

The show is massive, second only to the the November Classic Car Motorshow also at the NEC. There was a fantastic display from the team at Gilbert-Michaelson showing superb restoration skills and techniques. The auto jumble area is also huge with and amazing array of new and used classic car parts.

Tools are very important to me and it was great to see so many fabulous tools on sale, I spent a fair bit of time with the wonderful people at Draper Tools who also supply our workshop, so it was great to see what was new in the range.

The barn find area is fascinating, some models don’t seem that old to me and seeing cars that I helped to develop back in the ’90s on display as a classic did make me feel a bit old!

If you are interested in buying a classic the auction area would have been perfect for you, I spent hours in there drooling over some amazing cars, trucks and bikes, including a classic mini pickup with a mid mounted GT40 V8! You really do see all sorts at the NEC show.

But as ever the best bit was talking to so many wonderful people, listening to stories and swapping hints and tips. It’s a fabulous environment where people’s passion for a great hobby highlights what a great community this really is.

I’m already looking forward to the next show!

Heritage and Engineering

Heritage and Engineering are two words that don’t often hang around in each others company. But maybe they should.

Heritage and Engineering are two words that don’t often hang around in each others company. But maybe they should.

Heritage is an important idea, it’s the things in the past that are the foundations for the present.

Chances are that we all have at least a small but amazing bit of Engineering heritage in our family, maybe your grandma built mighty rolls Royce Merlin engines for second world war spitfires, or great grandfather rolled the steel that made the Titanic.

Engineering is fundamentally creative, it’s at the heart of what it is to be human, solving problems with practical solutions. And it’s probably part of your family story.

Just think about the world around you, computers are everywhere and the inventor of modern computer programming was Ada Lovelace, her legacy is in the very device you are using right now. Brunell’s bridges, railways and ships shaped the way towns grew, people gained mobility and society developed, engineering has a big impact.

But it’s not just the big names that made a difference, it’s the people who make things happen at ground level such as the multitudes of people at Bletchley doing their bit to push computer science forward in WW2, or the countless people involved in steel making, making nuts and bolts or maintaining machines in great factories. Millions of people shaped our engineering heritage, it’s part of who we are.

Just as important as creating things, the art of Engineering also creates skills. These skills are passed on and allow others to share in the experience and abilities of others. It’s a brilliant thing.

However, we seem to be at a turning point in history. Skills are in real danger of dying out by accident. The number of students deciding to study technical subjects is nowhere near enough, coupled with traditional Engineering skills being eclipsed by modern automated systems. The bright dazzle of high technology blinding us to the humble foundations of traditional Engineering.

But thankfully there is hope. The Association of Heritage Engineers has a mandate to preserve our Engineering skills and show our brilliant engineering history in new and exciting ways to the next generation.

It’s time to get involved, spread the word.