Classic car show at the NEC 13th to 15th November 2026

[DublinBlueElan]

I'm coming over from Dublin to this show in November. I'm going to fly over as it will be a one day trip for me. Any of you going? Will there be any Elans do you think? I see there are trade shows inside, from experience do you think there is anything worth picking up?

[MPx]

I've been many times but missed last year (and probably this one too). Its a great show if you love classic cars. Spread over many halls there should be something for everyone with any sort of old automotive interest.

IMO the best stands are typically the car clubs. LEC doesn't have a stand but Club Lotus and the Lotus Drivers Club always do and there's likely to be an M100 or two around somewhere. Also Sunbeam Lotus Owners Club, Autobahnstormers for the Carlton/Omega and several fast Ford clubs may have a Cortina or two. There's also a hall for the bigger dealers in classic cars - so bring your wallet if likely to be tempted. There will be a significant Auction taking place - need to buy a catalogue to get a really close look there, but can see what's for sale from a safe distance. There's also a sprawling autojumble side. You sometimes find the odd Lotus specialists like PNM or LotusBits amongst them if you need something Lotusy....but if its more generic nuts, bolts, trim materials, etc then there's a huge number to choose from. You're unlikely to find any rocking horse poo like rear lights and its not really got an organised Lotus parts arena - but you may be lucky if one of the autojumble stands happens to have something that you recognise. A great if tiring day out. You'll need to keep moving to see it all...

[Tuga2112]

done that gig twice, also done the practical classics restoration show twice.

both are good gigs. and the amount to see is well worth the ticket. if you never been, you are going to enjoy it. but after being there once, you may find not enough changed 3-4 years later to make the second trip worth it.

a few things i dont like about it is,
the auction side of it. they use up a lot of space that is not accessible for the paying public... unless the paying public pays more... which i find morally unacceptable.

it had a very disproportionate amount of ford clubs. one of the smaller halls was 90%+ fords... i have no interest in fords... with exception of the RS200 and GT40

the autojumble was big.. but only good if you were restoring a morris minor, or something that dates back to before 75.

for the ticket price. i prefer the practical classics show, its smaller, cheaper. a little more tailored to the owner that does their own maintenance/restoration, has an equally good autojumble, keeps the best while trimming out the repetition, making it also a easier day on the joints.