Autosport International Steeped in Histroic Motorsport

13 October 2005

As an extremely popular area for historic motor racing companies and enthusiasts, the Historic Hall will return to be an integral part of Autosport International 2006, 12 - 15 January at the NEC in Birmingham. The dedicated hall will be supported by two of the most well established magazines in the historic motorsport and classic car market MotorSport and Classic and Sports Car.

The Historic Hall was introduced for the first time at Autosport International 2005 to industry wide acclaim and visitors' delight. Impressive features presented by Group C/GTP Racing, BEN, Top Hat Racing and even Nick Mason's rarely seen Ferrari 512S, gave visitors an enjoyable trip down memory to racing days gone past.

Rob Ingle from London, a public visitor to the show in January 2005, aptly summed up the opinion of enthusiasts to the Historic Hall: "Nostalgia is everywhere and the Historic Hall shows just how important it is to remember where today's high-tech racing cars actually came from."

Visitors to Autosport International 2006 will be delighted to see the magnificent Historic Hall centrepiece, a stunning 100 years of Grand Prix Racing feature, presented by the Donington Grand Prix Collection. With over 1,000sq.m of space dedicated to celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first Grand Prix in France, this will be one of the most unique static displays of historic racing cars seen at a UK exhibition.

The mouth-watering display of some of the greatest racing cars ever built will provide visitors with a selection of over 25 championship and race winning Grand Prix cars, stretching from the early 1900s right through to the last race of the 2005 season in China. Significant exhibits of interest include Tazio Nuvolari's 1934 Maserati 8CM and the 1952 Ferrari 500 F2 driven by Alberto Ascari.

The 1961 Lotus Climax 18/21, driven by Stirling Moss whilst defeating the Ferrari works team in the Monaco Grand Prix for the Rob Walker Lotus team, will feature together with the 1966 Constructors' winning car, the Brabham Repco BT20. 1962 World Champion Graham Hill's BRM P56, which also won the Constructors' title, will be sure to delight visitors as will son Damon's Williams Renault FW18 in which he took the 1996 World Championship spoils.

Top Hat Racing, one of the most popular historic racing organisations in Europe, returns to the Historic Hall with a truly impressive line up of cars, stretching across the decades. For active racers and enthusiasts of current historic motor racing, Top Hat Racing will present cars from various categories, including pre-1965 Gp2 style historic touring cars, sportscars of historic interest and a variety of saloons from the 1960s and 1970s.

Julius Thurgood from Top Hat Racing comments: "The Historic Hall provides Top Hat Racing with the perfect marketing platform to showcase the huge array of historic racing that takes place today. The show represents a unique opportunity to get many of the key people in international and national motorsport together in an environment that is conducive to successful planning for the coming motorsport season."

Coys, the most famous historic motorsport, classic and competition car auctioneers, will hold an exclusive auction in the Historic Hall on Saturday 14 January. With a stunning selection of machines, the auction will include a number of important historic and contemporary road and race cars, as well as a significant private collection of formula one and motorsport memorabilia.

Items of note previously offered by Coys at this motorsport extravaganza have included; 1968 Lola T70, 1973 Ferrari Daytona Spyder, 1953 Jaguar XK120 Competition and a 1985 RAM F1 car. The same world standard quality can be expected in 2006.

Chris Routledge, Coys Auctioneer, comments; "Coys are delighted and proud to be returning to the world's premiere motorsport exhibition, Autosport International. To be a significant feature of the historic hall is a major development for us. We have long been the number one auction house in the historic racing car field and this event, along with the long awaited return of the original Coys Historic Festival, will do much to maintain that position."

You can avoid the queues and book online now at www.autosport-international.com for tickets to the show, which include entrance to the Live Action Arena at £25.00 for adults and £17.50 for
children, or by calling the ticket hotline on 0870 380 2244.

Brand new for 2006 is an exclusive Paddock Pass ticket available at £31. This special pass gives holders access to the new paddock area built backstage in the Live Action Arena where you can get up close to the cars and talk to the drivers. You will also get fast-track entry and priority seating in the Live Action Arena plus the opportunity to watch extra performances from the sidelines. This fantastic offer also includes exclusive access to the Driver Signing Area with the opportunity to obtain autographs from your racing heroes.

Related Story 21.06.2005 - Autosport International Celebrates 100 Years of Grand Prix Racing