The weekend of the 9th & 10th February 2013 will see the 1st RIAC National Classic Car Show take place in the RDS Simmonscourt in Dublin. This is a long overdue addition to the Irish show calendar, and one that the Royal Irish Automobile Club and the organising committee have already put a huge amount of work into. The RIAC’s involvement in motoring in Ireland goes back to 1901.

In fact they held a show entitled The Dublin Motor Show back in 1907 and 1908 in the main hall of the RDS, so who better to reignite aclassic car show in the same venue?

Co-ordinator of the Show on behalf of the RIAC is Bob Montgomery, curator of the RIAC Guinness Segrave Library in Dublin. Bob is also a motoring historian, and has published many books on the history of the automobile in Ireland.

Speaking about the show Bob Montgomery said: “It’s an attempt to provide clubs and the classic car movement in Ireland with an opportunity to showcase their hobby and their cars. The format will be primarily made up of club displays, feature stands and trade stands. There will an Enthusiasts’ Village, which is really for the small businesses related to our hobby such as those who do re-chroming, restoration work, car storage, book sales; all sorts of relevant trade stands for people who own, restore or just have an interest in classic cars.

“We are delighted to have AXA Insurance on board as our main sponsor for the event. Our other partners are Irish Vintage Scene Magazine and the IVVCC, and we are also welcoming on board a series of secondary sponsors, all to be announced in the next couple of weeks.”

Tickets will be available from two sources nearer the event. The official agents will be Ticketmaster, but at the moment and in the lead up to the show they are available to purchase in advance from the RIAC General Office, which can be contacted on 01-677-5141; just ask for Breda. As for the cost, we have a few options. If you purchase on the day or from Ticketmaster the cost is €15 per day, but you can purchase tickets in advance for €12 per day. We have a special offer for classic car clubs, who can purchase batches of ten at a saving of €5 per ticket; the club in turn can pass on the saving to their members, or make some money for their club funds.