EVENTS: Stafford CLASSIC bike show celebrates 40 years with a 1940s themed biker bash.

Celebrating the 75^th anniversary of VE Day (and its 40^th birthday), the upcoming International Classic MotorCycle Show looks set to be a bit special in 2020.   

Highlights for the weekend include a 1940s-themed hall, with a Spitfire and Hurricane taking centre stage, surrounded by an abundance of privately owned classic motorcycles and incredible displays from owners’ clubs too. Organisers have been in contact with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight to hopefully secure a flypast from the Lancaster, Spitfire, Hurricane and Dakota with confirmation due in March 2020.

Classic motorcycle clubs are encouraged to theme their stand and make the most of the fancy dress element, with increased prize money up for grabs for the top three, courtesy of show sponsor, Carole Nash Insurance.

Showgoers and traders will also be in with a chance to win a cash prize for joining in the theme, with two £100 prizes to be won per day for the best-dressed visitors, and a £300 prize for the best trade stand too.

Outside, the popular Classic Racer GP paddock will undergo a facelift and transform into a bigger and better Firing-up Area, with all manner of different machines and engines making some serious noise over the two-day event. Show organisers have teamed up with Historic Aero Engines – a group of enthusiasts who restore and display historic aero engines on a non-profit basis to encourage public interest in iconic aero engineering. The team will be bringing a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and an Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah engine to showcase and start up in front of the crowds.

The show will still be sticking to its roots as a classic bike show, with thousands of classic motorcycles to see, a huge indoor and outdoor autojumble and more than 900 traders in attendance. The Bonhams auction will be as spectacular as ever, with exciting news on the lots on offer coming soon.

Taking place at Staffordshire County Showground across April 25-26, the one-off 1940s-themed event promises to be a celebration of all things classic and vintage. Speaking about the show, Exhibition manager Nick Mowbray said: “Reaching a 40^th anniversary for any event is no mean feat, and we are particularly proud that our Stafford MotorCycle Show still manages to reach out so far and wide at such a ripe age. Linking the show anniversary up with a respectful nod to VE Day is the right thing to do, and we are really looking forward to what we envisage will be a spectacular weekend for all involved.”

For more information on the show and to get your hands on advance tickets, click HERE.