We love this show; having attended since we started stocking watercooled parts over 6 years ago. However something was different this year, and perhaps it represents a change in the scene as a whole. 

Located at the Telford International Centre, there was no denying how busy the show was. Cars were queueing all of Saturday afternoon, and well into the evening to get into the exhibition centre. In fact some cars were still being positioned late into the night. Improvements in local amenities meant the hotel bars were nowhere near as packed; with visitors opting for Nando’s, or other offsite eateries – the increase in choice making getting a table somewhere was easier by far!

The show opened to the public on Saturday evening. A perfect time to check out the cars on display, before the masses arrive on Sunday. We each took the opportunity to walk round and catch up with some friends and fellow traders, knowing full well the Sunday would be busy. Our stand this year featured a stunning Corrado.. a first for us, but a celebration of our ever growing Corrado parts section online.

Sunday morning came, and even more show cars had arrived overnight. The roundabout and the local road network had been jammed from 7am; we were more than thankful we weren’t a day visitor sat in the queues. Our cooked breakfast followed by a 5 minute walk to our stand a positive luxury in comparison!

We had a great day chatting VWs and helping people out, but something wasn’t quite as it ‘should be’..and, here comes the crunch.. the cars. Ultimate Dubs conjures up some great visions in your mind, if you have visited before you would know what to expect. Except, this year more than any other year, the percentage of non-VW and VW group vehicles seemed bigger. Not only in the car park, but on display too. Photos below by SlammedUK

Whilst the show visitors might be diverse in wanting to see stanced BMW’s, Nissans, Mini’s etc, the show is called ‘Ultimate Dubs’ and to of sacrificed show space to a non VW, when the car park was full of some great examples seemed a shame. We would encourage this to be a rule for next year; if we want the VW community to be bigger and better than ever, we need to keep people in VW cars. If we wanted to see BMW’s we would go to a BMW show (even if we can appreciate a tidy E30 M3, or E21 -or a slammed Merc in the case to the left).

As well as an excess of ‘illegal’ machinery, there seemed to be a shortage of Old Skool metal too. Is this a trend we will see grow in the years to come? We really hope not, but hopings not going to fix it!

As the cars become harder to restore and the money involved to produce a show car rises. Are enthusiasts turning to newer vehicles for a ‘quick easy fix’ rather than getting stuck into a potentially problematic restoration project, that perhaps is beyond their skills or budget. Again, we hope not. We certainly are busier than ever selling parts for Golf Mk1 and Mk2 models, maybe they will all be ready for next year instead?!

On a more positive note; and a big one too.. The quality of the classic cars there, was fantastic. We met up with a few customers who had their vehicles on display, and enjoyed chatting over their projects and hearing how we had helped.

The other really good thing was the Best of Show award went to a Mk1 Golf; which also picked up best wheels for the bonkers ‘BStar‘ custom splits it drove to the show on.. Yep, no trailers involved. On top of the R32 conversion it modelled last year, it now sported a carbon wrapped gearbox, and fuel tank, and there were mirrors laid in each corner to show how clean it was underneath! Hat’s off to Route32 for building and driving this beast, I love it! Photos below by Watercooled Society

We would love to know your thoughts on the show; am I just being picky, or have we noticed the start of something new.

Check out more photos from the show over on our Flickr page here. 

Andy

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage