The 2025 Finalists

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As its name suggests, Bridge Classic Cars Kids seeks to inspire the next generation of classic car enthusiasts, with sustainability being central to this message. The programme engages families and children at events and online, via stories and videos, with plans to blend this with school visits. It’s about bringing classic cars alive and seeing their place in the 21st century. It also hopes to serve as a blueprint for others, to help the initiative grow and thrive. 

The Equipe Super Sprint format turned the idea of a race meeting on its head to create a schedule that provides a day of competitive action and better value for money – every driver gets the full amount of track time. It's about lap times not machinery, meaning you never know who you’ll be up against. After each heat, the top half of the grid moves up, the bottom half goes down, so drivers are continually reshuffled into groups matching their pace. The three finals are therefore closely contested, and drivers that have never previously been in contention for a podium finish have a chance of glory. 

ifindautoparts is a new, community-focused website which has the potential to be a life-saver for restorers and home mechanics alike. It’s building an ecosystem, connecting trusted specialists and suppliers with owners, built by enthusiasts for enthusiasts to help reduce the time, expense and hassle of sourcing classic car parts. This fantastic resource supports specialists as much as buyers and could be especially useful for those new to the hobby. Plus, the handy ‘Match me alerts’ function underlines that usability and convenience are at the heart of this project. 

A focus on young people and education is a highlight of the entry from The British Motor Museum at Gaydon. Its STEM Career Days programme has been enhanced by a special concentration of home-educated youngsters, who made up a quarter of attendees for the 2025 events. An initiative mounted in collaboration with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has seen four motor industry apprentices being trained to drive the Museum’s 20HP Thorneycroft of 1904 in the 2025 RAC London-Brighton veteran car run. Aimed at helping even younger people is the Museum’s new 'Brick Bank' which collects unwanted LEGO bricks, incorporates them into packs and redistributes them to local Community Pantries. This combination of recycling and community education has already seen over 1.5million bricks find new homes

A wide-ranging emphasis on special attractions for younger visitors marks out The Great British Car Journey’s year. New initiatives include the opportunity for youngsters to drive a classic Leyland Mini Automatic, classic car passenger rides aimed specifically at children, an impressive Hot Wheels track and an off-road course on which youngsters can drive electric mini-Land Rovers. Adults have not been forgotten in the collection’s unique programme of allowing visitors to drive selected exhibits, with ‘new’ cars such as the Wolseley 14/60 which starred in the TV series Foyle’s War and a trio of 1970s/80s classics – the Rover SD1, Triumph Stag and Ford Capri. Latest additions to its displays include a section devoted to the ‘local’ Derbyshire car manufacturer Toyota.

The Haynes Motor Museum impressed with the focus on the new exhibition British Icons: Driven by Design. This exhibition, featuring four iconic British marques, attracts because it draws attention to the people behind the cars as much as on the cars themselves. The John Haynes Classic, the museum’s new annual event launched in September, demonstrates a commitment to broadening its interest and customer base via all manner of attractions and activities. At the same time, the museum has been updating existing exhibitions such as the Williams Formula One display, has launched a new Somerset-themed Scalextric circuit for visitors to use, and organised a series of innovative 'Bonnets Up' experiences, allowing visitors to get close to engines and exteriors of selected exhibits.

Tania Brown was nominated to highlight and award recognition for the exceptional work she does at the Vintage Sports Car Club. Within the last year she has been instrumental in bringing the Club to the fore which has earned them some highly prestigious awards.  There are always key players who go above and beyond, who are perfectly tuned to the needs of the club and its members. Tania is one of those key people who goes the extra mile, and makes a difference, be it championing women in motorsport, sustainable fuels or building relations for future generations by creating family friendly events.  It all makes for a great club with a bright future, one made better for having Tania at its core.

This was, sadly, a posthumous nomination. Julian Grimwade was a man who embodied the very spirit of historic motoring. A competitor and friend to many, his contribution to heritage, historic motoring and motorsport was both outstanding and enduring. From his much-loved 1929 Bentley 4½ and Lagonda Rapier, to the Frazer Nash Norris Special in which he claimed countless Vintage Sports-Car Club trophies, his competitive drive was matched only by his generosity of spirit. Beyond the VSCC, Julian gave decades of service to the Bentley Drivers Club and was a central figure at Brooklands. He was a champion of heritage in action, demonstrating historic cars to parliamentarians and the public alike.

The Judges were all taken with the story of the Californian born Mark Reber, who went above and beyond the call of duty to enable the town of Clevedon to celebrate its place in automotive history by creating a permanent monument to the 1898 Stephens prototype. Taking on the council would perhaps defeat most, but then to win the battle and succeed with no prior knowledge of building such a complex, full-size monument, all takes extraordinary patience, determination and skill. Mark impressed the judges with his boundless enthusiasm to see this project through, even when it meant moving to Lincoln for a few weeks to be hands-on with the build and the end result is a permanent reminder of how one person can make a difference, in this case a lasting contribution to the town of Clevedon. 

In 2015, aged 18,  Jack Rawles joined his family's business, Bill Rawles Classic Cars Ltd,. Not long after he joined, a family medical emergency threw him in at the deep end as he found himself running the company. Over the next 10 years, he completely dedicated himself to the industry, and has grown the business 3x, not only in turnover but also in personnel. Jack is also a skilled racing driver, starting in the Ginetta Juniors, then followed by being the youngest Healey Driver international winner at 18 years old. Over the next few years, solid results followed including at Revival, the Goodwood Members Meeting, and in Europe, UK and Canada. And in 2024 he organised, planned and executed a trip to the USA with two racing Healeys to Road America - a trip he named  ‘Road to Road America’.  They took their racing Healey to Wisconsin, where they beat 60 racing Healeys from all over the world to become Healey World Challenge Champions.

In 2021 classic car enthusiast Sammy Ruff joined Harry Fraser Vehicle Upholstery as a trimmer. With no previous upholstery experience, she displayed characteristic determination: enrolling herself on a sewing machine course to master the basics before stepping confidently into the role. In just a few years, Sammy has emerged as an accomplished craftswoman, a capable leader, and an inspiring young ambassador for the historic motoring community. Her influence extends beyond craftsmanship. Sammy has drawn on her background as a legal secretary to streamline workshop operations, organising workflow with efficiency and professionalism. In parallel, she has developed extraordinary technical ability as a trimmer. Today, she is regarded as the most capable in the business, excelling particularly in the complex restoration of seating – from vintage bucket seats to intricate 1950s Mercedes saloon seats. 

At just 22 years old, Will Marsh has already carved a reputation as one of the most promising and committed young competitors in the historic motoring world. Starting in 2023, Will delivered a season that will be remembered in Vintage Sports-Car Club history. Campaigning his 1929 Austin 7 Ulster, which he restored as a boy with his father in the family workshop, he claimed an extraordinary suite of the Club’s most prestigious trophies. By the close of the season, he had secured The Lycett Memorial Trophy, The Lycett Trophy, the Northern Lycett Trophy, the 1500 Trophy, and the John Rowley Trophy — a clean sweep never before achieved by someone so young. In 2024 and into 2025, Will has proved that his success was not a one-season wonder. Recognising the importance of encouraging the next generation, he actively supports other Young Members in the VSCC. He frequently shares his car, offering the chance to compete when they might not otherwise have the means.