Showtime!

The Special’s first indoor show of the year: welcome to the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show, where the accent was clearly on restoration but also a great excuse for clubs to set up displays and show off their motors, irrespective of condition.

And why not? As this was written there was a heck of a lot of unpleasantness going on thousands of miles away, so why not have some old-car indulgence?

And for those sans classic there was always the Iconic auction which, with 290 cars on offer was 100 up on last year. Are owners looking to cash in their classic chips because of the economy, or is there a mass desire to change cars? Whatever the motivating factor, there was much motivation to buy too.

We managed a podcast with The Old Car Lady too, choosing a clutch of cars, discussing their popularity and crystal ball-gazing what they might fetch. Check out The Old Car Lady on Youtube to see how accurate we were – or weren’t.

The show was a good ‘un and occupying just two halls, way easier to navigate than the November outing. From metalflaked beach buggies to Ford Corsair estates (yes, two of them) being worked on, there was much to look at and seek inspiration from. In The Special’s case it was the HA Viva van display, plus a Tundra Austin 1300 estate whose colour has been chosen for one of Mrs Special’s motors.

In all a great show, and one that continues to offer inspiration and encouragement.