Now’s your chance to vote for the contenders shortlisted for Car of the Year in the 2025 International Historic Motoring Awards. Have your say and cast your vote here.
The class of 2025, selected by an expert jury via Octane and Magneto magazines, is incredibly strong, as you’ll see below. The winner will be announced on Awards night at the Peninsula Hotel in London on Friday 14 November.
Event tickets are available here.
1920 Sunbeam 350hp ‘Blue Bird’
The 1920 Sunbeam 120hp, better known as ‘Blue Bird,’ was the first in a series of record-breaking machines piloted by Sir Malcolm Campbell. In 1925 at Pendine Sands in Wales, Blue Bird claimed the Land Speed record and became the first car in history to cross the 150mph threshold.
Earlier this year, on 21 July, Blue Bird ran at Pendine Sands to mark the centenary of its record-breaking run before being securing Best of Show honours at the Heveningham Hall Concours in Suffolk.
Hispano-Suiza H6C Nieuport-Astra Torpedo
Built in 1924 for racing driver and aperitif heir André Dubonnet, Penny and Lee Anderson Snr’s Hispano-Suiza claimed the Best of Show crown at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Presented at Pebble fresh from a three-year restoration completed by RM Restoration of Ontario, Canada, this Hispano-Suiza boasts stunning Nieport-Astra bodywork fashioned from narrow mahogany strips fastened together by some 8500 rivets.
Mercedes-Benz W196 R Stromlinienwagen
The sale of this streamlined Silver Arrow for €51,155,000 earlier this year made it the most expensive competition car ever auctioned and the second-most valuable car of all time. Only the Uhlenhaut Coupé has ever sold for more, although that particular car never competed.
Piloted in period by the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio and Sir Stirling Moss, it was donated to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (IMS) by Mercedes-Benz in 1965. When the IMS decided to refocus its collection on Indy cars, the W196 R Stromlenienwagen was offered in a one-off auction among a selection of other machinery
Boreham Motorworks Alan Mann 68 Edition
This red-and-gold-liveried Escort is an exacting recreation of the car that won the 1968 British Saloon Car Championship in 1968 and 1969 with Australian Frank Gardner at the wheel. “Sanctioned by Ford and FIA-approved for historic motor sport, it is being built by the founder’s son together with several of the original engineers.
Alfa Romeo 158
It’s fitting that a Grand Prix car is shortlisted in the 75th anniversary year of the Formula 1 World Championship – especially one as significant as this Alfa Romeo. Driven by Nino Farina, it was the very machine in which he clinched the inaugural World Championship title in 1950, appearing at the 2025 Silverstone Festival as part of the F1 anniversary celebrations.
Alfa Romeo Tipo B (P3)
The Auriga Collection’s Vittorio Jano-designed 1932 Alfa Romeo Tipo B claimed the ‘Trofeo BMW Group – Best of Show’ at the 2025 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Campaigned by Scuderia Ferrari in 1934 with drivers Achille Varzi, Guy Moll, Louis Chiron and Antonio Brivio, its victory underscores the growing prominence of competition cars on the concours stage.
BRM P5781 ‘Old Faithful’
The 1961 P5781 that Graham Hill drove to F1 World Championship glory was shipped to the UK by Miles Collier’s Rev’s Insitute this summer, to help celebrate 75 years of BRM. Better known as ‘Old Faithful’, Hill’s title-winning car made memorable cameos at the Silverstone Festival, Oulton Park Gold Cup, Goodwood and the Royal Automobile Club Concours.
