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Huge display of barn finds set for NEC Restoration Show

Published 24 March 2017

One of the biggest displays of barn finds is set to be unveiled at the NEC later this month. Organisers of the NEC Restoration Show have scoured the country to bring together 25 rusty wrecks, including some eye-catching modern classics.

Like John Ducker’s Isuzu Piazza Turbo. Eighteen months ago, he made a low bid on internet auction site eBay for one of the few Piazzas and was successful. The car needed some TLC, though – it needed welding on both inner front wings and patches on the sills.

Another of John’s cars is also on display - a 1987 BMW 728 with a manual gearbox, that had been stood in a garden for 11 years before it was rescued six months ago. A dodgy clutch means the engine can’t currently turn over, but John’s hoping to embark on the car’s restoration soon.

Another major barn find attraction is an Audi Quattro. This 1987 Turbo was found by Andy Bates in Burton-Upon-Trent. Andy said, ‘I had known about the car since 2011, but it took me until 2015 for its owner to sell it to me. It had been standing outside for about eight years and the bodywork was much as you see it now - the wings, roof and sills were all in need of attention.

Nissan Cherry

This Nissan Cherry Europe is one of just three on the road in the UK.

Surely one of the rarest cars at the NEC is a 1985 Nissan Cherry Europe. Born out of an Eighties collaboration between the Japanese carmaker and Alfa Romeo, the model is widely regarded as a failure. With only three Cherry Europes on the road, David Roberts snapped up his 1.2-litre. David says, ‘It had been lying in a garage in Stoke-on-Trent for the past ten years. The Nissan was surrounded by junk and its interior used for storage but it wasn’t a complete mess and there were just 32,597 miles on the clock.”

These four examples are also joined by a 1986 Austin Metro City and a 1982 Porsche 924 from the 1980s, as well as other marques spanning from 1931 onwards.

For more information, as well as all the ticket prices and booking details, visit www.necrestorationshow.com.