Comment: What ever happened to the British Motor Show?

Published 01 October 2014

The Paris Motor Show kicks off on 2 October, with the French capital playing host to some of the world’s biggest car launches. Audi, BMW, Ford and Jaguar are all set to take centre stage in what should be a fantastic Gallic spectacle.

However, as a Brit preparing to cover the event, I cannot help but feel a sense of envy. After all, with resurgence in the British car industry, shouldn’t we be hosting international motor shows? And what ever happened to the British Motor Show?

Once an automotive institution, the British Motor Show entertained and enthralled millions for more than a century. Yet since 2008, the event has been consigned to the scrap heap.

The first British Motor Show was held at Crystal Palace in 1903 before moving to Olympia in 1905. It then moved to Earls Court in 1937 where it continued until the mid-1970s. However, after an unsuccessful stint at Birmingham’s NEC, the British Motor Show faded into obscurity and disappeared altogether after a forlorn appearance at ExCel in 2008.

Since then, we’ve been forced to watch from the sidelines as Britain’s latest innovations get their premieres at Geneva, Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles - and not in their spiritual homes, here in Blighty.

Ok, I accept that our automotive industry is foreign owned these days, with the profits diverted back to shareholders in Germany, Japan and India, but surely they would be willing to back a new London event to celebrate their latest British new cars? After all, Britain’s foreign owned car firms invest £1.9 billion each year in the UK, is it too much to ask for a tiny fraction of this to be diverted for a new car show in London?

I know the internet allows car buyers to configure new vehicles from the comfort of your living room these days, but as the Paris Motor Show will prove, there really is no substitute for a huge, glitzy event. Imagine it, the Jaguar F-Type, the latest Range Rover, the new MINI and the British-built Nissan Qashqai all being launched in the county of their birth. Not only would it be a superb tribute to the 1 million people employed in the automotive industry, but it might also prompt a few more manufacturers to set up shop here.

So come on Britain, let’s get a show that’s worthy of heritage and prestige of our booming car industry. Let’s bring back the British Motor Show in London!

Comments

janeleonard on 4 October 2014

Its a great article!!! The native country not hosting its own Motor Show does makes it a point of question! In fact, the country's own reputation should be on the first preference rather than the choice of others.
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Andy on 21 October 2014

I think moving it to Birmingham was a mistake also it's a shame the last show coincided with the start of a world wide recession with the European car industry hitting the buffers. This resulted in the dreadful scrappage scheme trying to kick start the industry. It's now a perfect time to bring back the British Motor show but let's have it back in the nations capital

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Mini1 on 22 November 2014

I'm not sure if it matters about being in the capital; Frankfurt and Geneva aren't capital cities and they are amongst the biggest. It's only really Paris that has the big pull of being the capital. London is probably one of the worst places to have it in terms of being car-friendly, which is probably what made Birmingham more of a pull. I'd be happy to see it anywhere, as long as manufacturers are willing to make a go of it and not snub it (cough cough, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen!).

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gavsmit on 5 November 2014

I remember looking forward to Autumn as a child because of the Motor Show. I thought Earls Court and the NEC were both great, and there were always huge crowds every year my Dad and I went so I'm not sure why it is seen as a failure. As a car enthusiast from a young age, the Motor Show was like the cup final for me, and those early autumn mornings spent travelling to Earls Court or the NEC and then sitting in all those sparkling new cars are some of my fondest memories - shame I can't do the same with my kids. I really hope it does return one day.

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Mini1 on 22 November 2014

I think if we really want it to return, some of the car magazines need to club together and lobby the SMMT - Honest John included. They aren't going to go hunting for blog posts - let's make this happen. The arguments in this article are certainly convincing. I used to LOVE the British Motor Show as a child in the 90s, but even I noticed that 2008's event at ExCel felt small and unimpressive in comparison to previous years at the NEC. I do also seem to remember the London Motor Show at Earls Court being good fun - the last one there being held in 1999. I've been to Paris and Geneva a few times since - and though they are great, Geneva in particular begins to feel the same year on year - stands in the same place, identical stand designs - at least it felt like there was a bit of variety in Birmingham's NEC efforts. BMW have their own entire HALL at the Frankfurt shows - imagine a hall for Land Rover, Jaguar and MINI (seeing as the latter's biggest sellers are built here in the UK). Come on UK car industry, let's see a return to form!!

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