TLF @ The NEC Classic Car Show 2011

[darkcat]

I would have gone but they are taking the pi$$ with the ticket price + parking. nearly £30!!!!!!!!!

If i'd offered to take my dad (frankly i wouldnt have gone without him as he wouldnt speak to me for a week) would have topped £50

+ Petrol!!!!!

[Petrol feet driven]

Likewise, two tickets £40+ parking £30 ish, petrol £100+ Food £30+ Saved this and bought....

This

[red vtec]

Why is the parking £30?? it was £8.00 last time i went to NEC in June.

Must admit I was not paying £25 for a ticket, Rip off they have already made there money out of the exhibitors. As Jack Dee Said I can go to the best shop in the world for nothing (Harrods)

[oneshot]

Err guys

The majority of exhibitors are car clubs who don't pay anything to exhibit. Parking was £8.00.

You could have got in for free - simply volunteer to work on the TLF stand for a few hours We get an allocation of exhibitor passes - anyone who helps out on the stand would be eligible for one. Obviously we have a limited number but the last few years we haven't used them all.

You don't have to commit to the whole weekend - simply volunteering to help on one of the days for a few hours would help - it would mean those that are there all weekend could have chance to look round.

[Petrol feet driven]

Will do that next time, now I know.. Cheers for the heads up on that..

Edited November 13, 2011 by Petrol feet driven

[Harsh]

Saw the stand on Friday, looked really good, i did say a brief hello.

That Sport 300 looked gorgeous!!

Was running around most of the day doing Sporting Bears Dream rides

[MPx]

_{Well I had a lovely day at the show on Friday despite paying the advanced ticket price of £24.50 (incl booking fee) . Also spent a happy couple of hours on the stand incommoding the passers by - and earned a free car park pass for my trouble (many thanks Bibs!!). It was poss to get in on an advanced club discount ticket for £15.50 (code CLUB11) for Sat or Sun - but the advatage of Friday is the lower visitor numbers and easier access to the cars. I guess it depends what you like doing cos as a show is much the same each year - there's only about 1000 cars there to look at, about 60% of which are just stunning and the rest a testament to how daft we can all get about these metal boxes. Plus some beautiful machinery for sale plus the usual tools and parts and after market stuff. Halls 4,5,6,7,and 8 were full of cars, 9 was classic bikes and 1,2 and 3 the Top Gear show. As an enthusist, that's not something I cant get to see very often and if someone else does the work in putting on a show of that kind, I'm pretty much 100% likely to enjoy myself so why wouldn't I spend some of my money on going to it? I went on to stay with friends in Welwyn over the w/e - paid entrance to get into St Albans Cathedral - fantastic place, the Roman Theatre - a bit of a con, and a nice meal out. That was collectively more expensive than my trip to the NEC and no car gawping available at all. I do do other things than stare at cars, but very few of them are cheaper and I dont rate them as "better". I think there's some presbeterian thinking going on here where one of a handful of opportunities to do something we're supposedly enthusiastic about comes up but its too expensive to indulge - whereas a music concert, a football match or even a trip to St Albans is still judged acceptable value. Maybe we're not all the petrolheads we purport to be......?}

[dodge1979]

Here here...i got the advance sat ticket with the discount code, took the train there so no parking worries.glad I got there for when it opened...it took me 2 hours to get round hall4 first..i did kinda skip the american section as it was stupidly busy.bikes was fairly empty, although im glad a went and dribbled over the vincents...it can be an expensive day out yes, but I thought it was great.highlights for me included the pimped up anglias...and dare I say it the yugos and skodas...purely because its good to know someone loves them still! Funny thing though, was by the yugo stand and the power to their display had gone out...a mmber ofthe nec staff had gone to sort it, came back and apologized..the yugo chap said dont worry, were yugo owners...were used to things breaking all the time.made me chuckle....

[gt111]

My first time at the Classic Car show and I really enjoyed it.

Helping out on the TLF stand was good fun, and I think the knowledge I was able to demonstrate on Esprits was truly outstanding

Hopefully I can help out again next year.

p.s. Missing the GT3

[Bazza 907]

Sorry to have missed this. In Malaysia on business but it looked a great stand from the pics

[Bibs]

Great show, very busy this year.

Thanks very much to everyone who helped make the show a success. Very stressful at times but I'm sure ultimately worth the effort.

Thanks to Cliff for all the help leading up to the show and during the event, a rock as ever! Thanks to Dave for being a great assistant once or twice during the 4 days of attendance! Thanks Laura for everything, lots of work organising the event and also to Guy from Strattons, without who our stand would have been much less populated, less organised and of little use. Thanks Gary for coming up to help, most appreciated mate as I know you're busy with Wheeler Dealers. Also thanks to Ken Baird, Nima and Neil Rodway for the loan of the Sport300, Exige GT3 (for sale, oieo £100k please) and Lotus Sunbeam.

Also, never, ever stay in an Etap.

Well said Mike, very true and also Dave. We get a decent amount of tickets each year and you know what, I stand in reception and give them away to blokes who come up with their kids to the show rather than see them in the bin to save them a few quid. There's no minimum commitment to help out TLF for a free ticket, but helping out is very rewarding, a great way to be more involved and also a nice way to save entry and car park fees. Think not what your club can do for you etc...

[robington]

I visited the show for the first time this year and thought it was great. Well worth the money and did not have time to get around everything because there is just so much to look at. I certainly plan to go next year.....

[Bibs]

[Sparky]

A most enjoyable day out - not least because I finally got to drive the GT3 somewhere for the first time in 2 months.

Thanks, Bibs, for the tickets, which funded the pen that Laura so expertly sold me!

[Bibs]

Real carbon fibre doncha know

[Petrol feet driven]

Ok Bibs put me down to help out next year..

[red vtec]

Really well done, Once I get things sorted out at home I'll get more involved, at the moment I feel I would somewhat be taking the P!SS with free tickets etc

If you ever need the odd large poster printed etc let me know

[Sparky]

The head gasket blew on my pen.

[gghc87]

the box will come in handy

[Laura]

Did you get a receipt Sparky? You should take it back!

[Sparky]

I'd get it shipped back on a low loader, but ClassicLine say it's not covered.

Now, where did I put that receipt...?