One hundred Grand Prix cars will head to the Brooklands Museum in Surrey this summer to mark the centenary of the first British Grand Prix, held on the banked Brooklands circuit in 1926.
Scheduled for Saturday 8 August, the anniversary event falls on the exact date the original race was staged, with crowds set to gather once more at the historic venue.
While the roster of Grand Prix cars is yet to be revealed, the Brooklands Museum promises the 100-car collection will encompass everything from early pre-war pioneers to the hybrid-powered missiles of the modern era.
‘It’s going to be a wonderful occasion and a very apt celebration to mark the 100 years of Grand Prix racing in Great Britain,’ said Brooklands Museum chief executive Alex Patterson. ‘Paying tribute to that watershed moment in time, this summer’s very special day will feature what’s certainly one of the biggest and most comprehensive collections of Grand Prix cars ever seen.’
Fittingly, the anniversary will see many of the older machines erupt into life once more, with engine fire-ups promised on the bankings of the original circuit. Meanwhile, the more modern machines will be seen in action on the nearby Mercedes-Benz World test track.
Just nine cars lined up for the 1926 British Grand Prix, where the Delage 15-S-8 of Louis Wagner and Robert Sénéchal claimed victory ahead of Malcolm Campbell’s Bugatti 39A. Of the marques represented on that historic grid, only Aston Martin remains in Grand Prix racing today.
Brooklands hosted its final British Grand Prix in 1927 but continued hosting races until the summer of 1939 – shortly before the UK declared war on Nazi Germany. The Second World War saw Brooklands used for aircraft production, and in the post-war years British motorsport found new homes at venues such as Silverstone, Brands Hatch and other converted airfields.
Tickets for Brooklands’ 100th anniversary event are on sale now. For ticket sales and more information, click here.
