Show Wrap-Up – Midlands Carolina British Classics IX

March 30, 2015 Staff All Marques, Classic Cars, Events, Marques Comments Off on Show Wrap-Up – Midlands Carolina British Classics IX

The British Car Club Midlands Centre out of Columbia, South Carolina, held their 9th annual Carolina British Classic show this past Saturday, April, and it was a pleasure to attend. The event was held at historic Columbia Speedway in coordination with Tartan Day South, an annual Scottish festival. Proceeds from the show went to Pawmetto Lifeline.

Midland's Carolina British Classics IX 2015

The weather was cool and beautiful – a truly fantastic Spring day. As in years past, the background of the Scottish festival lent a music, food and an amazing array of traditional, and not so traditional, dress to the show. Having a car show in conjunction with an event such as this really makes the whole day more enjoyable for all those attending. The juxtaposition of activities also provides a lot of exposure to the cars that would not have been available in many other locations. This awareness of both classic and modern British autos may help to bring in new converts to our hobby. The increased traffic and exposure also helps to make vendors, such as the sponsoring local Jaguar Land Rover dealership, happy.

If you look through the pictures below, you will see a random selection of the over 100 cars in the show. Of course you will see my 1966 Vanden Plas Princess 1100, but your will also see a wonderful crowd favorite, the 1934 Rolls Royce. The car was simply spectacular and was receiving the admiration and attention it deserved.

This year, instead of having a featured marque, the show organizers had a featured club. The club in question was the area Austin Healey club, and  their members turned out in force with their cars. From a 100M to a 3000, there was a wide range of big Healeys in attendance. Unfortunately there was only one Sprite, but it was a beautiful bugeye.

I am always left with questions after these shows though, like where have all the Jensen Healeys gone? And what about the MGCs, Rovers, GT6s, and MGA Coupes? And while the Sunbeam folks showed up with a nice collection of Alpines and one Tiger, where are all the Imps? There are so many more cars out there, I know there are, that don’t come to shows that it makes me wonder what it would take to lure them out into the sunshine. I will have more thoughts on shows in the coming days, but it really is something to think about.

Overall the show was well organized and run. There was a very well stocked silent auction, timelines were adhered to, and everyone seemed to have a great time.

 

Staff

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