Detroit, Tokyo, Coventry... and now West Mersea!

The small island off the Essex coast joined the world's giant car-making cities at the 1998 British Motor Show in Birmingham.

The Walklett family were displaying their innovative West Mersea-built Dare DZ, 2.0 litre, Ford Zetec engine sports car. Trevers Walklett said it was everything a sports car driver needed in a compact package.

It was the aerofoil on the compact Formula 1-style sports car which drew the attention of TV's investigative tough guy Roger Cook, who thought the car looked great.

But most eyes at the National Exhibition Centre were on Jaguar, Rover and Lexus.

These major manufacturers revealed for the first time a trio of attention-grabbing new models.

Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson gave the Gazette his undivided attention for a few minutes on the Honda stand, posing with one of the stand's Formula 1 cars.

Was he enjoying the show? "Of course I am. I always enjoy the buzz from these events." he said.

This year, instead of the usual supermodels, Coronation Street actress Barbara Knox, who plays Rita Sullivan, added lustre to the event, appeared on the Jaguar stand.

But she said she wouldn't be buying the new S-type as she already owns the Jaguar XK8 and wouldn't part with it.

Jaguar revealed its svelte retro-look S-type luxury car in a fanfare of music, clouds of dry ice and hype. With some styling cues harking back to the classic 1959 Mk II, Jaguar has a real winner on its hands.

Supple styling and a muscular engine have helped dispel fears that Ford ownership of the marque would water down the Jaguar mystique.

It was a coy Rover which at last revealed the 75, replacement for the 700/800 series. The BMW-owned British car-maker had relentlessly teased the press pack over the past few weeks with a trickle of tiny details about the new range.

With a spectacular fanfare from the London Philharmonic the 75 - the first new car from Rover for 25 years and a make-or-break model - was lowered from the ceiling.

Was it worth the wait? The sleek 75 is in the 600 tradition of well-styled, quality cars, but now has strong BMW overtones.

The 75 will be available next spring with a choice of three petrol engines - 1.8, 2.0 and 2.5 litre. These will be joined by a 1.9 BMW diesel engine.

Meanwhile, down on the biggest display at the show, Essex-based Ford showed off the full range of Focus models, including the saloon and estate not due in UK showrooms until early next year.

Ford also announced it is entering the world of insurance by offering customers a "one stop" buying option to insure its new Ford car at point of purchase.

VW offered a hands-on chance to touch and sit in the world's next cult car. Its new Beetle is a stunner and has an amazing amount of headroom on offer.

The prize this year for the wackiest stand feature goes to Vauxhall.

Last year rivals Ford used a Ka as an aquarium full of fish.

This year Vauxhall went one better and put its new Astra into a huge fish-filled aquarium, which at one time boasted an aqualung diver.

Colchester had another representative at the show with body-styling kit company LS Design, based at Severalls Business Park, unveiling a special Rover 200 styling kit.

The eye-catching car even boasts TV screens in the backs of the front seats. A great idea to keep the kids quiet on long journeys.

Overdosed on all the glitz and glamour of all that shiny metal? Then enter the Adventures Zone arena.

Off-road fans can watch a selection of invited guests put the latest 4x4s through their paces over specially constructed obstacles.

The show also offers a glimpse into the future. One of the record 11 halls that make up the show at the NEC is devoted to a display of 35 futuristic cars and models which the organisers have dubbed Concepts of the 21st Century.

Everything from the two-wheel C1 city car from BMW, to the windowless, wheel-less and emission-less Slug showing how cars might be in 100 years time!

The Motor Show, at the NEC Birmingham, runs until November 1

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.