Three Counties 2010
17th 18th April 2010, Three Counties Showground
LEW attended Club Lotus Show and Festival held for the first time at the Three Counties Showground at Malvern, after the usual Donington venue.
Donington informed Club Lotus after last year’s show that their Exhibition Centre was scheduled to be demolished because of the proposed circuit development works. Since then much has happened and we now know that the British Grand Prix will stay at Silverstone leaving Donington in a very sorry state with parts of the track and infrastructure destroyed.
Consequently, They’ve had to find a new venue for the Club Lotus Show. They looked at lots of venues last summer but Malvern stood out above all others. It’s located in a central and beautiful part of the country and has excellent access from the M5. The showground is immaculately kept with plenty of good parking on both flat level grass and tarmac.
The main hall is heated and unlike Donington will be carpeted throughout. It has lots of natural light thanks to a good number of transparent roof panels and also has fewer pillars in the hall. These features combine to give the hall a light and airy feel and will enhance the car displays and trade stands.
There’s no race circuit of course, but as Donington was the only track in the UK with an exhibition hall attached this was always going to be an impossible task. However, the advantages of Malvern more than balance this out and they’re planning to add some new attractions to the event to run alongside the regular favourites.
As always there will be lots of specialist Lotus trade stands selling everything from new cars to spare parts and accessories plus a large Lotus Autojumble. Other attractions inside the two halls will include Lotus club displays and a private/trade used car sales area – in fact something for everyone. We're again expecting Lotus Aftersales to bet there selling a wide range of new and classic spares from the factory at specially discounted show prices plus official Lotus clothing and merchandise.
The entrance to the Three Counties Showground isn't to impressive, but the view is pretty spectacular.
LEW's Verdict
LEW's verdict on the relocated Festival isn't conclusive as we only visited on the first day. Seems strange after so many years at Donington to be somewhere else. The venue is ok, but does have some issues compared to Donington. Access isn't as easy at Donington, which is close to the motorway, but then it does depend on where you are coming from. There also isn't a proper carpark, which would be an issue if the weather isn't good, as parking on the grass could be tricky. But not a issue for this weekend, as the weather was wonderful. The event is also split over different halls, which gives a disjointed feel, but then again comparing it to Donington, which everyone is used to is slightly unfair. Attendance seemed lower than usual, but that could be to do with the re-location, financial climate, good weather or maybe even the easter holidays. Hopefully Sunday will be more popular, especially for Esprit owners.
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