With almost four years of development behind it, ifndautoparts made a successful public debut at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show at the NEC last weekend.
Interest in the new platform dedicated solely to buying and selling car parts was constant throughout the weekend, with impressive numbers of people signing up and a warm reception from car clubs across the entire spectrum of the historic vehicle sector.
Located as part of the FBHVC (Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs) stand area, and with a relatively small presence, the stream of interested people that ifndautoparts attracted was constant throughout the three days of the show.
“I think the fact that we are offering people a service that is really unique – and potentially industry-shaking – was something that both the individual enthusiasts and the car clubs instinctively warmed to,” explained ifndautoparts director, Mick Lunn. “After all, anyone who is, or has restored a car will certainly either need parts, or have parts to sell. And, given that, listing parts is free, who would not be interested.”
ifndautoparts was also delighted that a number of businesses were instantly interested in having their own virtual shopfront on the platform – and indeed some actually signed up to take advantage of the trade opportunities at the NEC show.
A further, and unexpected, surprise awaited the ifndautoparts crew as they found themselves the subject of interest from new Classic Car Restoration TV Show, Paddock Speedshop, ‘Restoration for a New Generation’ who wanted the platform explained, on camera.
“We were all a little nervous about being filmed to potentially be on the show,” stated ifndautoparts’ Layla Lunn. “Ethan Blake-Jones, one of the show’s stars was great and really put me at ease. He then went on to search the platform for parts and was delighted to find several parts that they need for the Porsche 944 that is one of the shows restorations, so it turned out to be a great showcase for the platform.”
From the NEC to Wembley for ifndautoparts
This weekend, ifndautoparts switches its thrust towards the car tuning and modifying enthusiasts. The platform has a major presence at Petrolheadonism Underground, which takes place in the car parks around Wembley Stadium.
At Petrolheadonism Underground, from 29-30 March, the ifndautoparts stand will be on a completely different scale from their debut at the NEC. As well as showcasing the ifndautoparts platform, the Wembley event will feature a couple of cars very much in keeping with the Petrolheadonism theme.
Visitors will be able to check out the fabulous Nissan R34 Skyline that will sit alongside a truly stunning Ferrari 458 Speciale. Both are sure to be a draw, but anyone coming to the stand can also put themselves through their paces on a reaction skills machine – with prizes on offer for those who best master this piece of training kit that is beloved of top sportsman the world over.
The next big outing for ifndautoparts is this year’s Japfest, the largest UK show for all things related to Japanese cars, which takes place at Silverstone on 12th and 13th April. Look out for the infdautoparts garage in the pits complex and also the “ifndautoparts bullet train” which will be ferrying visitors around Silverstone over the course of the event.
