classic motor show

bugger, i've been walking around all day taking photo's on my olde sony camera with it on the wrong settings, so, please excuse the horrible pictures, had a day off today so me and dangerous hacked down to britain's second city for the classic motor show, we had to queue to get in the carpark, queue to pay the admission fee, then told that we had to go to another paybooth to purchase tickets just for the bike show at hall seven, the lady debits my card for fifty three quid and i tell her we only want tickets for the bike show, she refunds me in cash and i purchase the correct tickets, at last we get in, you are never going to get the atmosphere of stafford, newark or any of the other,slightly frayed at the edges, motorcycle shows in the clinical, neon lit, vast halls of the national exhibition centre, but, i can recommend a visit, [here's a tip, don't buy an all inclusive car and bike ticket for twenty five quid, just buy a bike only ticket for fourteen quid, get your hand stamped to go outside for 'a smoke' [not that i do] and you can wander around the car show for nothing, just have to flash the security your handstamp, result] apparently, britain is in the depth of a recession, not at the nec, i'm talking serious cash money being spent, especially in the car area, one hundred and forty five thousand pounds for an e-type jaguar? what about a fire damaged e-type jag, horrible '70's alloy wheels and a tatty small block chevy rammed up it for sixteen and a half grand? thirty five big ones for a lotus cortina? [jane goodall, my old squeeze, dumped one outside an all-nighter at coalville back in the day because it wouldn't start] bumped into ex top gear presenter steve berry who told us all about the delights of running an ex kenny iron's pro-am lc 350 on the road including an hilarious encounter with the local plod who wanted to know why he hadn't got a brake light and insisted he started it so they could check it, young steve explained it didn't have a kickstart and he had to bump-start it, the copper told him he would inspect it as it was and to 'put it on the stand' 'it's not got a stand, sorry' 'look mate, your'e pissing me off now, just get on your bike and fuck off' brilliant, i know mr berry has had a lot of stick, but, for me he know's bikes and i like him, just ask him his thoughts on a panigale, 'what the fuck are they for?' or an old time, rockers, milkmans hat, even i can't repeat the answer to that one, [listen, i have some friend's who are gay, they read the blog, no problem to me]for me the highlights were the little two stroke aermacchi racer, seeing a genuine auto-union racing car in the flesh, [i seriously wanted to lick this car]the goldstar racer, sitting amongst the pristine, never run road bikes, [your pipes let you down boy's, goldie pipes go blue as soon as you run them, you sad individuals, book yourselves in for the festival of a thousand bikes and use them like there supposed to be used, not kept as a bloody investment] the mz with the 'two-stroke inside' sticker, the triton with the pudding basin helmet, goggles and white silk scarve on the seat, oh yeah, did i mention the auto-union racing car?........