The 2024 Finalists

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This was a new event for 2024. Focused entirely around celebrating the glory of period rallycross and rally machinery, the Lydden Legend Festival  featured on-track action for machinery from the history of rallycross, the discipline having been created at the Kent circuit in February 1967. A diverse range of classes were headlined by Group B and 4WD monsters, with star names such as multi European Rallycross Champion Kenneth  Hansen and international cars making an appearance, plus machinery and drivers from the Retro Rallycross Championship were in action.

Cars from across the history of rallying were also in action, and the weekend also featured a double-header of Five Nations Championship action.

The 2023 edition of the Roger Albert Clark Rally - its 20th anniversary -  was easily the best yet, as this stunning biennial event captured the hearts and imagination of a whole generation of rally fans. Across five days, competitors battled through some classic forest special stages, starting in Carmarthen and finishing in Carlisle. The fans turned out in unprecedented numbers and lined the stages in a fabulous spirit of enthusiasm and good humor. The competitors loved every minute of it, and the rally concluded with a stunning 40 mile special stage in Kielder forest, which represented the longest special stage in UK rallying for many years.More than any this was a year in which the Roger Albert Clark Rally truly came of age as one of the biggest motor sport events in the UK.

The 2023 Cotswold Trial Weekend, organised by the Vintage Sports-Car Club (VSCC), brilliantly showcased vibrant grassroots motorsport. Traditionally a one-day event, the Trial was expanded into a full weekend, which proved to be a game-changer. The first day catered to more experienced competitors, while the second saw the introduction of a dedicated Novice Trial . 

The result? A hugely successful day with one-third of Sunday’s competitors aged 30 or under, showing that the Club's efforts to engage younger enthusiasts are paying off.

This extraordinary display was the largest gathering of Ayrton Senna’s cars and memorabilia ever assembled, a feat that may never be replicated. The collection featured 26 iconic vehicles and 12 rare memorabilia items, many of which had never been seen by the public before. The scale and significance of the collection earned it international recognition, even surpassing Monaco's own tributes to Senna.

The curation process took 10 months, with vehicles sourced from all over the world, representing every stage of Senna’s career—from his early karting days to his Formula 1 glory. Among the highlights were two original karts from Senna’s childhood in Brazil, three of the F1 cars he tested, as well as race-winning McLarens and Williams. The collection also featured rare Ducati motorcycles bearing his name, two McLaren Senna road cars, and the Honda NSXs he personally drove off the track.

The inaugural Inter-club International Weekend revolutionised the ‘national weekend’ weekend format this Summer. This event, and the support it received, proved that the classic car club scene is 'stronger together' as over 40 clubs combined resources to put on a joint event.

Many smaller clubs have stated that they cannot afford to have a national weekend on the scale that the Inter-Club event offered. So, this was a perfect opportunity for them to come and make the most of the facilities laid on by three larger car clubs - led and coordinated by the TR Register - but without the risk of losing their identity and activities or allocating club funds to the event. Furthermore, by 'clubbing together' and collaborating, the event achieved the critical mass of attendance needed to invest in more attractions and activities for visitors and clubs alike. 

'FOTU' as it has become known, is the friendliest, most inclusive and sometimes the most emotional motoring event on the calendar. It celebrates the cars that aren't expensive, and generally weren't very exclusive, but those that really mattered to real people: the cars on everyone's driveways that took us to school, to work and on holiday. You can appreciate the design of a Ferrari or the engineering of a Lotus, but many people remember the feel of the vinyl seats of their dad's Cortina or the smell of the interior of their family Cavalier. Every year, Hagerty find the most extraordinary cars and celebrate those that were one everywhere but are now so rare. FOTU has spawned a network of true enthusiasts who are totally committed to this part of our motoring heritage and there is nothing like it. 2024 marks its 10th anniversary.

With 2,000 cars and over 4,000 people at FOTU 2024 there was nothing unexceptional about the number and variety of average automobiles and fans d’ordinaire occupying the grounds of Grimsthorpe Castle.

From its beginnings in 2014 as a gathering of unremarkable automobiles in a field, the Festival of the Unexceptional has grown into the biggest bash for bangers in Britain.

Giles Chapman’s beguiling story about James Watt for The Automobile  tells the tale of someone who grew up as ”a carefree petrolhead” to find a variety of fascinating roles on the periphery of the burgeoning post-war UK car industry. Giles Chapman weaves the details of these adventures into an entertaining tale about the kind of willing, unassuming character essential to the UK motor industry 70 years ago, who probably couldn’t exist today. 

Andrew Nahum’s story of Philip Conrad Vincent (PCV) published in The Automobile manages to weave a thorough examination of the character of an eccentric and enigmatic central figure into the story of one of Britain’s most iconic motorcycle marques, to show what made it very different from all the rest. In a motorcycle scene packed with shoulder-to-shoulder rivals like BSA, Triumph, AJS and Matchless, for a few years the Vincent company ploughed a separate furrow at the top of the market.  

For his profile of Alain Prost for Motor Sport, Damien Smith first succeeded in winning excellent access to Prost, a notoriously reluctant subject, then in framing well-prepared, well-targeted questions that make it clear to his interviewee that he is a well-briefed interviewer who cares about detailed answers, and can be trusted with them. The result is a comprehensive and stylishly-written story, packed with fresh quotes and information. The resulting piece adds much to our knowledge of Prost, especially in the modern era. 

This superb Bentley was unveiled at this year’s Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, fresh from a three-year restoration by Julian Parker LTD on behalf of the Jaques family. The chief challenge in conserving and restoring this car was the extreme rarity of the coachwork. Just three glass plate images remained of the original coachwork, and these were tracked down by Dr Clare Hey and proved invaluable. The restoration was commissioned by the car’s owner, Chris Jaques, a lifelong enthusiast and collector, who was passionate about the restoration and determined to provide the very best outcome for this motorcar. Sadly, Chris Jaques  passed away before the restoration was complete. His children understood the significance of this project for their father and so were equally determined to ensure that it would be completed in the manner that had been established. The result is, quite simply, impeccable.

The story of DB5/1962/R is as unique as the car itself. Originally registered to Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, this DB5 was first owned by Lady Brown, the wife of Aston Martin's then-chairman, David Brown. True to his personal taste, the car was finished in Roman Purple – a colour handpicked by David Brown himself.

Over the years, the car passed through some interesting hands, including a record label owner in London who, during his ownership, had connections to a certain Swedish band known for their "super trooper" hits, adding a musical touch to its already fascinating history.

Recently, DB5/1962/R underwent an extensive two-year restoration by Aston Martin specialist RS Williams. The team worked meticulously to retain as many of the original aluminium body panels as possible, even going the extra mile to source authentic parts, like the period-correct AML fire extinguisher – a rarity in itself.

Chassis no GP2 was the second and final E-type ERA.  Conceived and laid down in 1939, as a 1.5 Litre Grand Prix challenger, its racing debut was delayed, due to WW2, until 1946 when it was entered into earliest Grand Prix races at Silverstone, the Isle of Man and also the Indianapolis 500. Despite showing potential in period, including a new lap record at Monthlery in 1948, the car often had troubled outings and had failed to finish.  When it was finally retired in the early 1950s it had the claim of being the least campaigned ERA and, consequently, is also probably the least known today.  In December 2021 the car passed to its current owner.  It was released from the Silverstone Museum with a promise made to the curators that it would be fully restored to be raced once again.  

Tip Top Engineering accepted the restoration challenge and, after much careful research, agreed to return it to its original specification. It already has two recent hill-climbs and two races on its current log book and it can certainly now claim to be fully completed and ready to continue its history and prove its potential in the contemporary, and very competitive, world of historic racing.  

Photo: Neil Kirby