RIAC National Classic Car Show in March

The theme of this year's RIAC National Classic Car Show to take place in the RDS on 1st and 2nd March is 'All our Yesterdays', writes Trish Whelan.

Reflecting this theme will be a display of 1950s and 1960s family saloons. Originally sold in their thousands, there are few running examples of these iconic vehicles left on our roads today.

According to Show Director Bob Montgomery, "When we think of family cars today we most likely imagine people carriers or SUVs. This was not always the case and before the seven seater, four wheel drives there were the family saloons which were hugely popular for decades." Indeed, some may remember when you would fit five or six people into a Morris Minor or a VW Beetle for a family day trip to the sea side or away on a holiday.

Bob Montgomery

"It will no doubt shock some of the current generation who can never imagine heading on a five hour road trip sitting on laps, poking your head out the window to see what was going on - and all without a DVD player in sight to keep you occupied."

One of the most familiar and iconic family saloons on display will be the Morris Minor. Conceptualised by Sir Alec Issigonis, who also designed the Mini, the Morris Minor began production in 1948 and continued to appear on our roads in its various guises up to the early 1970s. Marketed as an affordable small family car, more than 1.3 million were built which made it the first vehicle to pass the magical 1 million car sales mark of any British manufacturer. The example on show in the RDS is a pristine early example of the Morris Minor.

But many of the most popular vehicles of their time are fast disappearing - like the Ford Cortina with just 0.1 percent remaining, the Austin Allegro 0.05 percent remaining, and MG 1100/1300 with 0.1 percent remaining, and even the more modern Ford Sierra reported to have only 0.4 percent remaining.

Bob Montgomery says some of the cars on show are becoming so rare that they are in danger of becoming extinct. He hopes those vehicles on show may encourage some of the visitors to the show to consider getting involved in preserving more for future generations.

The RIAC National Classic Car Show will include spectacular displays of classic cars, feature stands, autojumble, a dedicated Irish Motor sport section, a restoration feature and entertainment for all the family.