But with the plethora and proliferation of Types J K N and P the SA VA and WA which

But with the plethora and proliferation of Types J, K, N and P, the SA, VA and WA, which all appeared in the 1930s with engines ranging from 847ccs to 2,561ccs, I lack the nerd’s enthusiasm to distinguish one from t’other. The Y-saloon I remember only as the 11/4-litre, which I am certain was its name when I was a spotty boy.
Even on its introduction in May 1947 it was described in The Motor as “designed on conservative lines” – yet a whole decade earlier MG had built a saloon to rival the early Jaguar: long and low with swooping lines and parti-colours that marked it as Art Deco, flamboyant and exuberant, yet with a hint of the real upper-crust traditions of the larger Alvis and the Derby Bentley. The tide is turning; maybe it really is going to be OK.SHOW STOPPERSNo less rugged: The third generation Land RoverDiscovery has a new Ford/Peugeot sourced dieselRenault pitches into the ever-increasingly crowded market for mini-MPVs with its new Modus modelStartling but surely destined to become a familiar sight on British roads; the Peugeot 407 SW estate carBig: The appropriately named Mitsubishi Grandis has a certain presence born of its sheer bulk. Vauxhall’s new roadster resurrects the Tigra name, and Nissan is bringing the hefty and crisply-designed Murano 4×4 to the UK after its considerable success in the United States.First impressions, then, can be deceptive. I was sceptical about the Birmingham show, but if you love cars you should go – because almost everything new is there. And if you want to see a convincing view of the future, take a look at Honda’s stand, where you can examine the HSC supercar and IMAS hybrid concept that wowed the Tokyo show last October, cars whose optimistic mien fits well with the mood of Motropolis. Talking of V8s, Chrysler’s 300C saloon hits a well-judged note of retroism-with-modernity with its bold front and 1950s-like deep flanks.

It is impressively finished inside compared with some of Chrysler’s past efforts, and uses suspension derived from Mercedes E-class components. Best of all, though, is its 5.7-litre Hemi V8 engine, designed with the same basic architecture as the Hemi muscle-car engines of the 1950s and 1960s. The “halo effect” of this will help sales of the diesel and V6 versions that most people will buy, and as an offbeat alternative to a BMW 5-series or an Audi A6 the 300C – on sale here soon in right-hand drive – might just generate a cult following among Those Who Know.DaimlerChrysler’s erstwhile Mitsubishi partner, now being baled out by other Mitsubishi non-car companies after DC pulled its 37 per cent shareholding, has its new and striking Grandis MPV (test coming soon), while Peugeot is showing the good-looking SW estate version of the new 407. Engines are a single-turbo version of the new Ford/Peugeot diesel V6 already seen in the Jaguar S-type and Jaguar’s V8. It elevates the square-cut design motif to a new level, its slab doors and blocky facia creating a look of confident toughness that the old one never quite had. It works with the Rovers, reducing their frumpiness, but the new MG grilles look like a bad attempt at home customising. The new Rover 25/MG ZR dashboard is a great improvement, though.Of greater import is the Land Rover Discovery, revealed at the New York show but seen here for the first time.

If a Noble GTC-matching £44,950 is too much to stomach, there is also a cheaper version with 350bhp instead of 400 and a price saving of £5,000. Marcos’s founder, Jem Marsh, was to be found observing proceedings: what did he think? “It looks pretty good to me,” he said. Did he have any involvement with the new car? “I’m retired now, so no. But they wanted me here, so I came.”Elsewhere among the specialists, Morgan is showing its Ford V6-engined replacement for the old Plus Eight, now defunct because Land Rover has finally ended production of the old Rover V8 engine after 37 years.

And Marlin had its cute “5exi”, so named partly because it is the Devon company’s fifth design. Four weekends, £8,000 and a donor Rover 200 (1994 onwards) will apparently see this kit car completed; think of it as a low-cost Lotus Elise without the luxury of doors.Back in the mainstream, the NEC’s local carmaker is showing an MG ZR X-Power sporty hatchback with crisper suspension settings and bolder visuals, while most of the Rovers and MGs get a modernised, crisper front end of questionable aesthetic success. Noble took orders for eight M14s on the show’s press day alone.The Leicestershire company has also revealed its M12 GTC, an open-top M12 with a gentler state of single-turbo engine tune and a £44,950 price tag. The Modus looks like a shrunken Scenic, has a happy face and is built on the Renault-Nissan platform that underpins the Micra and the next Clio. It is a five seater with a sliding rear seat and a tall stance, whose niceties include a separately-openable, bottom-hinged, old-Mini-like boot lid within the main tailgate Sales start in the autumn.