Coops Classic Car Show in Surrey – a great example of ‘Grass Roots’ Classics

The Coops Classic Car Show, an annual event at the Morden Fun day in Surrey, is proof positive that grass roots classic cars have a big following.

Classic Cars have become the preserve of the rich as classic prices head in to the stratosphere. Or so the received wisdom would have you believe. But the reality is far different.

Yes, if you have very deep pockets and can indulge in classic Ferraris or a McLaren F1 you need to have tens of millions – and a team of tame mechanics – at your disposal, but real classic car shows are thriving, populated by real enthusiasts who are happy to spend their spare time tinkering and playing with their pride and joy, usually without a thought to its future value.

Nothing illustrates that better than a small classic car show in Surrey – the Coops Classic Car Show – which started out a few years ago as a small distraction at the Morden Family Fun Day, and has now grown so much the Fun Day is now almost an appendage to the Car Show.

When it started in 2016 it attracted just 35 cars, but this year organisers expect that to be heading up to 200 cars, with lots of British Classics from the 1960s to the 1990s and even classic motor bikes, so you can be pretty sure there will be something there you remember your dad or grandad driving. It’s a real nostalgia fest.

It’s good to see real classic car enthusiasts are out there and thriving, and even though we love to see the mega-price classics at shows, there’s at least as much fun in a small, vibrant show like this. And because it’s part of a family fun day there’s something for the whole family, even if they don’t have a love of proper classic cars.

May the Coops Classic Car Show – and the many others like it round the country – continue to thrive.

The Coops Classic Car Show is on Sunday 22 July 2018, raising money for local charities. What could be more grass roots?