Secret signs of ‘Superprix’ that reveal how race cars once tore through city centre streets in ‘Monaco of the Midlands’

SECRET signs have emerged revealing how race cars once blew through Birmingham in what was once dubbed the "Monaco of the Midlands".

The Birmingham Superprix was a popular motor racing meet held on a street circuit in the city centre from 1986 to 1990, with the main event consisting of the FIA Formula 3000 Championship.

And more than 30 years later, pieces of racing history remain. On Belgrade Middleway near Sherlock Street, several tarmac squares have been left on the road surface.

Further down the road towards the Central Mosque near a set of traffic lights sits the old nuts and bolts which were once used to hold safety barriers in place.

Meanwhile toward Haden Circus, temporary barriers for Halfords Corner are still visible. The barriers increased the space for the cars to perform a 360-degree bend.

The circuit of the Birmingham SuperPrix, which was centered on a race for Formula 3000 cars, was laid down on public roads, just to the south of Birmingham City Centre.

Slightly unusually, the circuit ran anticlockwise with drivers traveling on the wrong side of the road.

During the race, drivers took the track along Bristol street and down Belgrave to Haden Circus, (Halfords Corner), and back up along Belgrave Middleway.

After making a right-hand turn, competitors then made their way down Sherlock Street, then Pershore Street, onto Bromsgrove Street, and back onto Bristol Street.

The idea of a motor race in the centre of Birmingham began in local council meetings as far back as 1966.

A councilor from Birmingham City Council, Peter Barwell, and Birmingham businessman and racing driver Martin Hone brought the proposal forward despite several oppositions.

The council permitted British racing driver Stirling Moss to hold a race in 1972, but the event never came to fruition.

Then more than a decade later, in November 1984, the race proposal finally gained some traction.

The Birmingham Road Race Bill made it to Parliament, where it was approved by members in April 1985. It went on to receive royal assent in October 1985.

However, the fall in attendance in 1990 and the lack of national media coverage ultimately led to the race's cancellation. It's believed the staging of all the races cost taxpayers a whopping £5 million.

It comes after a Ford Capri rally car that once suffered a "freak accident" hit the market.

Meanwhile, an iconic Ford Capri racing car recently hit the market for an eye-watering £175,000.