Dubshed’s 2015 event at the King’s Hall in Belfast was held today, and with six years in the running I wonder if it is the best car show in the province. Many of you might think, of course it is, easily the best car show of the year in Northern Ireland. Best of the year, yes it could well be. What about best Ever?
Let me explain; it’s highly unlikely that there will be a manufacturer supported Motor Show on our shores. Cheap travel and the ‘net has probably knocked that on the head. Nothing else in the last six years, bar Dubshed, has brought that many car enthusiasts under one roof. So before you head straight to the reply box to vent your frustration that you don’t like Golfs, or lanyards, or air suspension, bear in mind that this event has been the biggest boost for the Norn Iron motoring enthusiast…. since RMS!
Dubshed as you can see here was incredibly busy when I visited on Saturday afternoon. One of the organisers, Gethin Evans, who I interviewed earlier in the week, told me that despite the shorter opening hours (2.30pm-6pm) for the Saturday, that it was unexpectedly busy. Even though Dubshed covers a huge area, including the main hall, a considerable amount of the Kings Hall grounds and two smaller halls, it was shoulder to shoulder with public and door mirror to wing mirror with exhibitors and show cars.
Golfs Galore
Without a doubt, you would expect to see a variety of the people’s car flagship, the Volkswagen Golf. Every generation was well represented, to the point where I would personally dread having to judge the ‘best Golf’ category as there were some absolute crackers.
This immaculate baby blue Mk1 Golf was certainly centre of attention. Check out the fold back roof. Or if you prefer the complete open top experience, this rare white Golf clipper was also stunning.
This Mk2 Golf impressed with it’s engine conversion, immaculate paintwork and Vento (Jetta for the Americans) front end conversion.
Gethin’s Mk3 500bhp+ monster .
For more Golf love see the image gallery.
Audi was well represented across the show including this head turning matt red A5.
This beautiful cayman was definitely one of the highlights.
Preparation, preparation, preparation
I can’t say enough about the standard of cars throughout the show’s various halls. Fellow RMS writer Gary Reilly and I discussed how high Dubshed has set the bar in quality and quantity, compared to shows of old, when badly painted fibreglass was generally acceptable.
When you bring a battery drill to polish the lip of your rims, you know you have a dedicated enthusiast on your hands. It’s genuine hard graft (along with the investment in time and money) which inspires people to this level, and Dubshed have to be thanked for bringing these people together somewhere where we can all appreciate their commitment. It’s not just airbag suspension, extreme negative camber and lanyards draped hung from jeans and bonnet catches.
There were some gorgeous classics on display including some rally inspired Audi Quattros, an entire aircooled hall with classic Beetles (and a BMX display), some classic 911s and this jaw-dropping Karmann Ghia.
Dubshed – The Verdict
There are a lot of specific cars I didn’t cover in this article, however I’m hoping that we can feature some of them in the coming weeks on the blog. I did want to delve into the Dubshed experience, and why as a car enthusiast that doesn’t necessarily worship in the church of VAG, I still found it a hugely enjoyable and fascinating show.
I hope I’ve managed to convey the Dubshed experience to those who weren’t able to make it this year, or to those who think it isn’t their cup of tea. Perhaps they will make the trip in 2016. Below are a selection of photos from the event, and hopefully you can find more specifics and more images on the forum.
Thanks to Graham Curry for the Photos and the organisers of Dubshed for having RMS along.
