Events

Advance discounted tickets are now on sale for the 2016 Donington Historic Festival (Saturday April 30th, Sunday May 1st and Monday May 2nd), perfectly timed for those looking to secure the idea Christmas gift for a historic motorsport or motoring fan. Over five very successful years, the Donington Historic Festival has gone from strength to strength, with world-class historic racing for grids from the 1920s to the 1990s supplemented by hugely popular features such as the exhilarating historic rally car and karting demonstrations and special paddock displays and track demos.  For 2016 the race content is building to be the event’s strongest yet, while the track action will also include some very exciting historic F1 car demos – always guaranteed to quicken the heartbeat of motorsport fans!

Supercars are not uncommon in Central London but, even by the capital’s lofty standards, last Saturday’s Regent Street Motor Show (Saturday 31 October) was very, very special. The city’s world famous West End shopping street was closed for a very special ‘mile of automotive style’ stretching between Piccadilly and Oxford Circuses as the UK’s largest free-to-view motor show showcased a glittering display of more than 200 cars from past, present and future generations. Savouring the unseasonably warm weather, hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts, shoppers, London residents and even rugby followers bound for the World Cup Fanzone in near-by Trafalgar Square all relished a huge variety of eye-catching machinery. This year’s Show embraced everything from motoring’s early pioneers to the latest plug-in hybrids with the futuristic Aston Martin DB10 from the new James Bond film Spectre drawing huge crowds.

The star guests of the Classic & Sports Car – The London Show Interview Stage, in partnership with Smooth Radio, have been revealing their Top Five cars to see at Alexandra Palace. Peter Stevens – designer of the McLaren F1 and Jaguar XJR-15 Range Rover “While Jeep in America had first offered a more comfortable family focused version of the famous four wheel drive off-road vehicle, Land Rover took the concept further and, in doing so, started a marketing trend that every manufacturer has had to follow.” McLaren F1 “Still a delight for me to see because it will always remind me of the great little team of guys who worked together on the car; it was very hard and concentrated work but we had a lot of fun together and produced something that we are all still very proud […]

More than 380 pioneering veteran cars dating back to very the dawn of motoring enjoyed unseasonably mild conditions to take part in this year’s Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. As tradition dictates, the 119th Anniversary Run set out from Hyde Park at day break and headed 60-miles south through a misty London and onto a sunny Sussex seafront. For only the third time in more than half a century, this year’s route took the intrepid participants – all driving pioneering cars from the pre-1905 era ­– past Buckingham Palace and down The Mall before heading past Big Ben and over Westminster Bridge. The capital’s early morning mist added to the period Victorian atmosphere. The first few cars began to arrive on Maderia Drive shortly after 10am – the 1903 Berliet driven by John Bentley just pipping the 1904 […]

MG Motor UK is pleased to announce it is the first volume manufacturer to confirm its attendance at the new London Motor Show. MG will be displaying its latest model range at the Battersea Park show in May 2016. Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing for MG, said: “We’re really excited to announce our attendance at the London Motor Show. It’s great to see a motor show return to the UK and we’re thrilled to be part of it. “We see it as a fantastic opportunity to showcase our latest range and interact with the public. We really hope that more manufacturers will follow and the show will be up there with the likes of Geneva and Paris as a platform for launching new and exciting brands and models.” Those attending the motor show will see MG’s latest range […]

When the inaugural London Classic Car Show opened its doors in January, it covered 18,000 sq m of prime exhibition space at ExCeL London. Crammed with innovative features, mouth-watering classic cars and a star-studded list of celebrity visitors, that inaugural show was such a success that even before the show closed it was announced that the 2016 edition (18-21 February, 2016) would be almost half as big again.

Following a highly successful year in 2015, which saw brand new sales and record-breaking prices achieved for cars, Silverstone Auctions has released details of its upcoming sales for 2016. Kicking off the auction calendar will be the Race Retro sale, the fifth sale of its kind that the auction house has held there. The two-day sale will take place on 27-28 February and will feature a collection of classic road cars, historic racing cars, motorcycles as well as automobilia and lifestyle items. The specialist auction house will return to the Practical Classics Restoration and Classic Car Show on 6 March. The sale will offer buyers the chance to acquire some of the most exceptional restoration projects as well as intriguing barn-finds. Returning to its spiritual home at The Wing, Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone Auctions will hold its popular stand-alone May Sale […]

The Jaguar E-type has added yet another award to its enviable roll of honour after being voted as Best British Car Ever in a worldwide poll run by the inaugural Classic & Sportscar – The London Show, running from 30 October to 1 November at Alexandra Palace. With thousands of votes cast, the E-type garnered the most votes of the shortlisted cars that also included the McLaren F1, Mini, Bentley Speed Six, Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost plus other British icons such as the original Range Rover and Jaguar’s own XKSS.

The London Show has opened its doors to the public for the first time with thousands of visitors treated to stunning displays, exciting live stage interviews and all things historic motoring. Presenter of BBC TV show Building Cars Live, Ant Anstead, opened the inaugural show to an eager crowd, before revealing that the Jaguar E-type had won Best British Car Ever following a hotly contested public vote. The presenter then took to the Interview Stage, sponsored by Smooth Radio, to share anecdotes from his career and his new TV shows including Building Cars Live in addition to talking about some of his favourite classics. Formula One legend, Ross Brawn OBE, was next to be interviewed by broadcaster Henry Hope-Frost, discussing not only classic cars but also his illustrious F1 career and the future of the sport. CEO of WeSeeHope, Mark […]

Motoring fans keen to expand their libraries, and maybe get an autographed copy too, should head to the inaugural Classic & Sports Car – The London Show at Alexandra Palace this autumn. That’s because the show will feature a host of world-class literary exhibitors, offering visitors everything from historical bestsellers to one-off coffee table books and, of course, a wide selection of motoring magazines. Some of the event’s Interview Stage guests will also be on hand to put pen to paper with some exclusive book signing sessions.

I attended two different car shows this past weekend, and while there were good things and difficulties with both of them, what always stands out is the people. It was great seeing old friends, making new friends, and just generally enjoying the company of like minded British car enthusiasts. My good buddy Gene Gillenwater showed me a car show creed that he had been given at a show back in his home state of Ohio. I loved it. He later had it on the windshield of his MGB at the show, and I saw many people stopping to read it and comment appreciatively. Too often at these shows folks get caught up in competition and who has the better car, the cleaner car, the car with the more accurate stitch-count in the seats. I have even known people who will […]

Beaulieu has announced that the 2016 dates for its world-famous International Autojumble, held in the grounds of the National Motor Museum, have been confirmed as the 3rd  and 4th September. Traditionally, the International Autojumble is held on the second full weekend of September and for several years the Goodwood Revival, the date of which is always dependent on the F1 Grand Prix calendar, has taken place on the following weekend. However, for the last two years the Revival has been brought forward a week to fit in with the F1 race schedule and as it is not in the best interests of Goodwood, Beaulieu, their exhibitors or visitors, to hold events on the same weekend, the decision was made to move Beaulieu’s International Autojumble forward a week as well. The same situation has prevailed for 2016 so Beaulieu will again […]

The Royal Automobile Club’s annual festival of motoring, London Motor Week, will embrace a brand new addition this year – The Art of Motoring. This inaugural exhibition will feature sixteen of the most prolific international motoring and motor racing artists who will display their latest works under the same roof for the first time in more than a decade. Housed at the Royal Opera Arcade at 5b Pall Mall, just a stone’s throw from the Royal Automobile Club’s London clubhouse, will be over 100 original works which will be for sale. The exhibition is free to the public from 26 -31 October 2015. An exclusive preview is by invitation only and will take place on the evening of 27 October at 7pm.

Historic aircraft and competition cars, classic road cars and military machines will converge on Bicester Heritage in Oxfordshire for the weekend of July 2nd and 3rd 2016, when Flywheel returns to the UK’s best-preserved Second World War bomber station. Showcasing the best in aviation, motorsport, motoring and military history in a uniquely atmospheric and intimate setting, this family-friendly nostalgia-fest brings together a fantastic range of entertainment to appeal to all ages. The first Flywheel – held in June 2015 – was a huge success, drawing thousands of spectators who thoroughly enjoyed outstanding displays in the air and on the motorsport demonstration track, and the chance to get up close to an exciting range of military vehicles, aircraft and rare racing cars. Highlights included the return to the former RAF Bicester of the Blenheim bomber for the first time in over […]

Barely auto related, but we like it anyway. Visit Beaulieu this Festive Season, between 19th December and 3rd January 2016, to experience the magic of a traditional Victorian Christmas. See one of the largest outdoor Christmas trees in the New Forest, adorned with seasonal decorations and follow the fairy light path to Palace House, the home of the Montagu family since 1538, which is a place of enchantment at this special time of year.  Children can follow the Christmas Cracker quiz trail, hear how festive traditions have developed over the ages and play Victorian parlour games. All the family can wrap up in beautiful coats, hats and scarves and climb aboard the stunning full-size sleigh to pose for a photograph – perfect for the family Christmas card. Visitors can talk to characters from Victorian times to discover what life was […]

No matter how many cars are on display at the free-to-view Regent Street Motor Show at the end of this month (Saturday 31 October) – and there will be hundreds – one more will leave than arrived. Four technicians from Caterham Cars will be building a car from scratch throughout the day. The four-strong team will start the day surrounded by a number of boxes full of parts to build up a Caterham Seven, and just six hours later they plan to drive the finished car away. Caterham Cars was founded in 1973 to manufacture and sell the self-assembly Seven two-seat sports car, and they’ve been doing it ever since. Based on the Lotus Seven from the 1950s, the current Caterham shares the same ‘back-to-basics’ looks as the original and it still shares the ethos of the original – performance […]

Visitors to Classic & Sports Car – The London Show will not only be able to feast their eyes on the world’s most amazing period cars – but they will also be treated to a host of eye-catching historical photographs celebrating British motoring and motorsport. The inaugural show will take place from 30th October to 1st November 2015 at Alexandra Palace. Located in Alexandra Palace’s West Corridor, these amazing installations will provide real insight into automotive history featuring images celebrating Jaguar Land Rover and British F1, thanks to pictures sourced from the world’s leading automotive image agency, LAT Photographic. Jaguar Land Rover is sponsoring a 24-metre gallery featuring the top 20 iconic moments that have defined 80 years of Jaguar and 45 years of Range Rover. Entitled ‘Jaguar: 80 Glorious Years 1935-2015’, it will feature a range of imagery from […]

One of Britain’s best-loved luxury car manufacturers, Aston Martin, will be celebrated in grand style at the inaugural Classic & Sports Car – The London Show, with a stunning collection of some of the luxury brand’s most iconic models, from the oldest-surviving to the very latest. Seven of Aston Martin’s handbuilt machines will appear at the Alexandra Palace event from 30th October to 1st November in a display sponsored by EFG International. A3 Taking the Aston Martin story back to the very beginning, an ultra-rare A3 will headline the display. The 1921 car, the oldest Aston Martin in existence, was the fourth and only survivor of marque founders Robert Bamford’s and Lionel Martin’s original prototypes. The car is now looked after by the Aston Martin Heritage Trust. DB MkIII Fewer than 500 DB MkIIIs were built from 1957 to 1959 and hardly […]