REMEMBERING THE 1984 MOTOR SHOW

12 November 2024

This year’s Classic Motor Show is marking 40 years, as is Lancaster Insurance, and it evokes so many memories of the 1984 event for those of us of a certain age. So, what stands at the NEC might have tempted my 14-year-old self after investing £2 in the “Comprehensive Catalogue”?

Gold car

  1. Firstly, note that the index page no longer has listings for Triumph or Morris, which are both marques you have virtually grown up with.
  2. Then head to Hall 3 to marvel at the Peugeot 205 GTi on Stand 309 - “At £6,295, no wonder we can’t make them fast enough”.
  3. Stand 114 in Hall 1 has the Subaru range, and their 4WD models still have very few direct rivals in 1984.
  4. The same stand has a car that is apparently “Bad News for Sierra, Cavalier, Montego” - the Hyundai Stellar 1.6. This is “so much car you won’t believe the price”. Notes to self - “It could easily have been called ‘The Ford Cortina Mk. VI’.
  5. On the Austin-Rover display on Stand 208, the Montego looks better in the metal than in press photographs. The special edition 25th Anniversary Mini is also intriguing, as Austin-Rover seem to be taking it seriously after several years of marketing neglect.
  6. Stand 226 features the Alfa Romeo 90 Gold Cloverleaf, which may resemble a facelifted Alfetta but features a dashboard with a detachable briefcase.
  7. Gaze in a mixture of desire and envy at the Aston Martin V8 Volonte on Stand 333.
  8. The same applies to every Ferrari on Stand 304.
  9. The Talbot Samba Cabriolet on Stand 309 is a highly appealing machine, but there are rumours that Peugeot will soon dispense with the marque.
  10. Muse about the Fiat Regata 100 Super on Stand 127 – does it look slightly ungainly compared with the Strada?
  11. The Reliant Scimitar SS1 on Stand 338 definitely appeals, and it is the first British open-topped two-seater in its class since the demise of the MGB and the Triumph TR7 Convertible.
  12. Could you afford the Jensen Interceptor “Made to the very highest specification – your own”, on Stand 301? Quick answer - “No, not on my pocket money”, but one can always dream.
  13. Meanwhile, the Nissan Stanza on Stand 310 is cheaper and infinitely more sensible.
  14. On Stand 134A, Dacia is promoting the 4WD Duster but not the Renault 12-based Denem. Too many UK motorists apparently did not find it sufficiently acceptable.
  15. Take one look at the FSO Polonez Special on Stand 317 and quickly flee – it looks like an escapee from Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense.
  16. The eight-wheeled Argocat displayed by Crayford on Stand 119 looks set to provide industrial levels of fun.
  17. Forget the boring ‘Skoda Jokes’ as their 90th Anniversary ‘Black Rapid’ Coupe on Stand 336 is decidedly tempting.
  18. Always remember to leave time to visit the accessories displays. In Hall 6A on Stand 609, we have Karobes with the very latest in “Hatch-Back Split Rear Seat Covers. Who could resist “Calypso” fabric in an “Attractive range of coordinating colours”?
  19. As for kit cars, the Dutton Rico on Stand 312 is either a “design to match any production car” or what looks like a mobile greenhouse with Ford Escort Mk.1 doors. You decide...
  20. The show’s theme may be “Take a Trip into Tomorrow”, but some advertisements make 1984 appear incredibly distant. Wipac still markets the “Sentinel Rear Fog-lamp kit” for the countless 1970s cars that lack such equipment.

With thanks to Sean Greenwood for his time and permission to use the images in this blog.