FailCar does the Classic Motor Show and MPH

Mr @FailCar has been busy attending events on behalf of PetrolBlog. Here are his pick of the halls...

As usual for PetrolBlog I thought I would try and keep my eye on the more obscure things and perhaps the stuff that you may have missed because it was hiding in a corner. I like corners at shows as they always have some interesting inhabitants.

First up is something I had not seen before (rare) - it's a Vauxhall Cavalier Calibre and it looks interesting because it has a Tickford bodykit and a 2.0 8v engine producing 130bhp. Apparently they made 500 of the things and I must say it does look... interesting.



As I was driving home from work on Friday with the sad demise of Max Power on my mind I saw a Nova razz past in the opposite direction. All of a sudden I realised not only had I not seen one in ages but with its square arches and chiselled looks it's actually a rather cool looking car. So when I saw this I really surprised myself by thinking  the Nova is a handsome little car without any Halfords accessories.



Going along with the Max Power theme is this. Though not horrendously modified I did find a Metro with 230hp quite an achievement. It has an LSD too so it might not be too mental to drive and it all looks as if it has been carried out properly. Don't deny it -you know you would love to have a go.



What am I doing?! A Cavalier with a bodykit, a Nova and a tarted up Metro. Apologies, I best get onto some real classics.

As always at the Classic show I find my most epic want and lust comes on the Tatra stand. I mean just look at these things, beautiful, unique and you have a V8 in the back.  Have you ever heard one of these things running? Hairs. Spine. Tingle.



Look an Audi without an LED in sight. This is an 1000 coupe and it's just one of those cars that you never see, so here you go.



Spotted this which has already sold in Hall 1 – a late model NSX with very low miles, sold for £48,000.



Like the Lotus Cortina? Like wind in your hair? Then this is the uber rare care for you. A Lotus Cortina convertible. Apparently it suffers from rather a lot of scuttle shake.



It's the Italian executive that we have all promised ourselves 'one day' The Lancia Thema 8.32 possibly one of the best sounding sleeper cars and of course that pop up spoiler just looks way cool.



While on the subject of sleepers here is one that I found entertaining. It's a 1977 Kadett S coupe but with a bit of a difference. It can do 1/4 mile in 11.94 @132mph. That would be thanks to a 380hp engine with an additional 75bhp on tap from a Nos kit. Mental.



Way before the C70 if you wanted a cool Volvo Coupe then this was totally the way to go. The Bertone designed Volvo 780. Sitting next to it is something that looks like its had a roof-chop. The handmade Volvo 262C. Pretty sure I have never seen one of these on the roads. For some reason they had a 'dummy' of a little kid leaning up against the wheel-arch.  Just odd, but if anyone knows why give me a shout.






This hearse was hiding round the back of the Volvo stand, The sticker on the back was comical, other than that I have no understanding of the desire to drive a hearse, but respect to those that keep them errr.. alive. (sorry)



You just don't get details like this on cars anymore. Just this snapshot of the rear 3/4 of this Alfa is enough to get any lover of all things with engine.  Dear car designers - I want more of this please.



A Maestro Vanden Plas interior. I find this not only funny but curiously desirable. Moving on...



Sometimes when I see someone selling a 'resto-project' I think what's the point? This Mini shell is apparently going to be at the show next year. Fully restored. Seriously guys, its knackered, but hey ho all these retiring baby-boomers have to give themselves something to do and it made me think that the self -restoration business is probably going to be reaching peak time soon.



I suppose I had better finish off with a couple of wants. One I nearly bought and one I sort of did buy. An E30 318is and of course a 205 GTi. Seeing this GTi has made me slightly depressed because much as I have spent ages on mine so far it just does not look as good as this concourse 1 FM limited edn. But with enough elbow grease I shall get here eventually.






Oh the MPH show? Well here are some pictures that sum it up.