Britain Auto Show

The British International Motor Show can trace its origins all the way back to January 1903 when a celebration of the new-fangled motor car was held at Crystal Palace, London. That first show lasted a week and attracted over 10,000 visitors at a time when there were only 8,000 "horseless carriages" on Britain's roads.

2008 Britain Auto Show

Honda OSM
Lotus Evora
Ford Fiesta ECOnetic
Subaru Impreza WRX STI 380S
See all vehicles at the 2006 Britain Auto Show

A year later, it moved to Olympia in London, where it would stay until 1937. As the popularity of the car increased, the auto show became an important date in the social calendar of Britain's well-to-do. For all the economic troubles of the 1930s and the growing threat of war, the automobile remained a potent expression of personal freedom and technological progress.

The Second World War called a halt to the show, but it was reborn in 1948 at London's Earls Court. The British manufacturers were still struggling to rebuild their capacity and gasoline was being strictly rationed, but the public's appetite for the show was undiminished. Over 500,000 people attended a show that saw the debut of what was then the world's fastest production car, the beautiful Jaguar XK120.

The next three decades would see the heyday of the British auto show, with huge crowds and some significant vehicle launches. The Jenson FF of 1966, for example, was the first production car to feature both four-wheel drive and antilock brakes. Eight years later, Lotus would unveil the Esprit, which would remain in production until 2004.

In 1978 the show moved to the new National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, situated in Britain's car manufacturing heartland. It was a big success and over 900,000 people packed into the halls. The show would be held in Birmingham for the next 16 years and would continue to attract some high-profile launches, including the Jaguar XJ220 supercar concept of 1988.

But by the end of the '90s the British auto show, like the British car industry, was in rapid decline. The NEC, with its infamous hotels, was outclassed by the rival shows in Frankfurt, Paris and Tokyo. Major manufacturers started to boycott the show as attendance fell.

Something had to be done and for 2006 the organizers took the bold decision to relocate the show to the ExCel Centre in London's trendy Docklands and move the date from the fall to July. A few significant global launches, including the Chrysler Sebring, GM Corsa and Jaguar XKR, helped ignite some interest and over 400,000 people attended — up nearly 25 percent on 2004.

For the first time in a generation, the biannual British International Motor Show is on the up.