Every classic car show promises something new. Most of the time, "new" means a fresh lick of paint or a slightly different running order. This year, at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at the NEC Birmingham (13–15 November 2026), "new" means a car that vanished for twenty years has just been found, and it's coming to Birmingham to prove it.

The show's 2026 theme is Débutant, a celebration of first-time appearances, whether that's a car that's never stood on a show stand, a club making its NEC debut, or an anniversary edition finally getting its due. The first five confirmed club entries have landed, and between them they cover barn-find drama, automotive eccentricity, a brand launch, and one very well-timed love story between a man and his car. Here's what's confirmed so far.

The one that got away, and came back

Twenty-five of these were built. Twenty-four, if you're being pedantic about which one Mazda kept for itself. In 1991, to mark Mazda's outright win at Le Mans, still the only Japanese manufacturer to have managed it, the company built a limited run of MX-5 Le Mans Edition cars, finished in the same racing livery as the car that took the flag. For years, one of them was simply gone. Not scrapped, as far as anyone knew, just untraceable.

It has now been found, and it's currently undergoing restoration ahead of the show. The MX-5 Owners Club will bring it to the NEC alongside four other surviving Le Mans Editions, around half of the entire production run, in one place, for what's believed to be the first time. There's a chance Mazda UK's own Heritage Fleet example, usually kept in museum storage, joins them too. If it does, it'll be the most complete gathering of this car anyone currently living has seen.

A stand for the car nobody else would build



The Renault Avantime never made commercial sense, which is precisely why enthusiasts love it. Built by Matra and sold under the Renault badge for barely two years in the early 2000s, it was a two-door coupé with the footprint of an MPV and doors long enough to require their own postcode. Matra folded not long after, and the Avantime became one of those cars people either don't remember or remember far too fondly.

This year marks 25 years since Matra built its last car, and the Avantime Alliance UK is marking it with the first dedicated Avantime stand in the show's history, two examples, a 2.0 Dynamique in the signature Iliade Blue and a 3.0 Privilege, alongside owner-made artwork and production memorabilia. It's a small stand doing a genuinely significant thing: giving a commercial failure the retrospective it's always deserved.

One club, one launch, two anniversaries, no half measures

MG Rover Hub is marking its first anniversary as a club by doing rather more than cutting a cake. The stand will double as the launch site for a brand-new club sub-brand, while also marking 25 years since the Rover 75 Tourer arrived and 40 years since the Rover 800 Coupé did the same. There's also a working tie-in with the ZR/ZS/ZT 25th-anniversary display elsewhere in the hall, meaning visitors get three decades of Rover history and a brand-new chapter, all from one corner of the show.

The Focus MK1 Preservation Club makes its own NEC debut this year, bringing a genuinely uncommon late-2004 ST170 Estate fitted with half-leather Recaro seats that were never officially sold in the UK, alongside a "Flight" run-out edition, the very last specification of MK1 production before Ford moved on. Neither car has appeared on a show stand before. It's a fitting pairing: one marks the end of an era, the other represents an option most UK owners never even knew existed.

The debut that happened twice

Some debuts take twenty years to arrange. This one took about a month. Colin joined the Cortina MK3 Club at last year's NEC and bought his 1972 2-Door Mk3 Cortina GXL shortly afterwards. This November, car and owner make their first appearance on the club stand together, sitting alongside two 4-Door GXLs belonging to longer-standing members, each in a different colour, each with its own history. It's a small story next to a missing Mazda and a one-of-a-kind Avantime stand, but it's the one that best captures what Débutant is actually about: new starts, wherever they show up.

Welsh Ford Owners Club Brings Fast Ford Royalty to the NEC

If you’ve got a soft spot for proper Blue Oval machinery, this year’s line-up is set to deliver in a big way. Fitting seamlessly into our Debutants theme, celebrating iconic cars making their very first appearance at the show. The Welsh Ford Owners Club is bringing a quartet of absolute crackers. Headlining their display are an Escort RS Cosworth, Mk3 RS Turbo Series 1, Mk4 RS Turbo Series 2, and a Mk1 Escort Mexico, all making their grand NEC debut together under one roof. It’s a rare chance to see four legendary Fast Fords lined up side by side, making it an absolute must-visit for every classic performance fan on the hall floor.

American Auto Club UK Celebrates 45 Years with Exclusive Muscle Reveal

The American Auto Club UK is celebrating a massive 45th anniversary milestone in style at this year's show, and they’re marking the occasion with a hand-picked lineup of fresh V8 iron that’s never been seen before. While the full display is being kept strictly under wraps, we can officially reveal one absolute stormer bound for the hall floor: a stunning 1974 Pontiac Trans Am Firebird. With its aggressive styling and unmistakable classic muscle presence, this iconic Firebird is set to be a standout feature of the club's anniversary celebrations, giving American auto fans a rare chance to see a true legend up close.

Spinning Through the Generations: Mazda Rotary Club Showcases RX-7 Evolution

Celebrating the unique heritage of Mazda's legendary rotary powerplant, the Mazda Rotary Club is bringing a full three-generation timeline of the iconic RX-7 to this year's show floor. Aligned with our Debutants theme, the stand features the show debuts of a sleek 1st-gen FB Series 3 and a 2nd-gen FC Turbo II cabriolet, lined up alongside a super rare, completely original, unmodified UK-spec 3rd-gen FD. To top it off, tech enthusiasts can get up close with a working single-rotor engine model on the stand, giving visitors a hands-on look at the engineering wizardry behind the famous spinning triangle.