AT SHOW AWARDS
The Imp Club
John Holloway’s vivid-looking 1971 Sunbeam Sport wowed the show’s celebrity classic experts, including The Grand Tour star, Richard Hammond, Salvage Hunters’ Paul Cowland, presenter and motor mechanic extraordinaire, Ant Anstead, and Classic Obsession’s Gary Mavers. Originally snapped up in 2004 in very poor condition, it’s undergone a 20-year nut-and-bolt overhaul with the floor sections, sills and wheel arches all being replaced. Finally completed last year, it’s also been treated to a bigger 998cc engine, front disc brakes and 13-inch Minilite alloy wheels, and its Sunshine Yellow re-spray was immaculate. A meticulous restoration and a deserving star of The Imp Club’s colourful stand.
Steve McKenna – Ford Sidevalve Owners’ Club
This award – which recognises individuals who have gone the extra mile to help fellow enthusiasts was a hotly-contested category, with 15 hardworking volunteers making the shortlist. Voted for by Classic Car Weekly readers in the run-up to the awards ceremony, this year’s award was given posthumously to Ford Sidevalve Owners’ Club stalwart, Steve McKenna, who passed away last year. The club nominated him in recognition of his ongoing tireless support for its activities, particularly at the two NEC shows, and now plans to dedicate an award in his memory at the Classic Motor Show later this year.
Minor LCV Register
Graham Meacher’s overhaul of a Minor postal van – reputedly the only surviving Scottish example, save for a museum exhibit in Glasgow – stunned our judges. Graham snapped the van – which was last on the road in 1997 – up 20 years ago when it was in a very poor state and decided that a full nut-and-bolt restoration was needed to bring it back to its former glory. But doing the job himself and having to fit it in around work commitments meant that the project was carried out in a series of stints, with the final mission from 2020 culminating in a successful effort to get back on the road for the Minor LCV Register’s 70th anniversary last summer. The meticulous attention to detail and the quality of the work made this a deserving winner
