Last, but not least, more photos.

Despite only being at the NEC in Birmingham for the 2020 Autosport International show for around 13 hours in total, and with the show only being open for around nine of those hours, I would say that we covered it pretty well. That being said, having a shortage of time can be a great motivator in making sure you get through everything. But there were a few times where I would have appreciated a ‘pause’ button, if only for a few extra minutes to linger at one thing or another.

While Autosport is not the biggest automotive expo in the world, it’s still considerable. There’s a lot packed into the NEC’s halls, particularly in and around the Engineering Show, which features stands situated tightly together like a local market. But instead of fruit, veg and miscellaneous nick-nacks, there are dry sumps, competition suspension setups and turbochargers. It’s pretty neat.

Incidentally, one of the very first vehicles I came upon was Team Hard’s MkV Golf  VW Cup Car. A proper wide-arch touring car kit, complete with MkVI Golf R front conversion, Team Dynamics wheels, big brakes, cage and rear wing excited me greatly.

To bring you up to date, following my 2019 end of year post, I listed Project GTI for sale, realised it was a terrible mistake, deleted the advert and am now making plans for more adventures with it in 2020. I don’t think I’ll quite go as far as this, though…

And I definitely won’t go as far as this. It’s not often you see the front of a Škoda Felicia tilted forward.

And it’s even rarer to see one with a Suzuki GSX-R1000 engine in the front.

So I don’t even know where to begin to explain that it actually had two Suzuki GSX-R1000 engines.

It’s called the Skoduki and it’s built by Bennet Built Motorsport in the UK. There’s more information on their Facebook page, but the custom chassis Czech minitruck is now rear-wheel drive through the GSX-R’s sequential gearbox.

The glare from the NEC’s lights unfortunately made it very difficult to show you the rear of the vehicle, but you can check it out in the link above.

There was representation from most major parts manufacturers, and to be honest, you could probably spend hours at some of the stands just learning the intricacies and details of their high-end motorsport products.

I would be tempted to come back next year and set aside a personal day solely to explore parts and products for my own use and education.

As is most often the case, the best way to really appreciate a show like this one is personal attendance. No two people are going to have the exact same itinerary or list of what they want to take away from an event, so this is just my view of Autosport International 2020. No doubt another’s view will have been different again, but I guess that’s the joy of it.

Still, it wasn’t a bad way to spend a Thursday and less than $150.

Paddy McGrath
Instagram: pmcgphotos
Twitter: pmcgphotos
paddy@speedhunters.com