Despite the fact Hagerty’s Festival of the Unexceptional is now in its 11th year, the much-loved celebration of the extremely ordinary vehicles that once filled our roads remains a unique fixture of the calendar. Taking place once again at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire, this year’s overall winner came in the form of a 1992 Skoda Favorit Forum, which not only took the top Concours de l’Ordinaire prize but the People’s Choice Award, too.
Conceived by Hagerty in 2014, FOTU celebrates the long-forgotten everyday family cars – with extra points for those who turn up in base-spec versions. Although the show caters to cars from the 1970s and 1980s, this increasingly feels like a pilgrimage for enthusiasts of 1990s and even early 2000s – an emerging group of classic cars that struggle to feel accepted or fit in at other events – drawing a particularly youthful demographic.
This year’s winning Skoda Favorit was a prime example, as the 22-year-old owner Simon Packowski rescued the car from the brink of scrap, requiring a new headgasket. It was Packowski’s 1000-mile round trip to secure the correct headrests and his desire to retain the car’s very basic specification – with not even a radio fitted – that won the judges over.
All of the ‘Unexceptional’ cars selected for the Concours de l’Ordinaire lawn told a tale of owners who had gone to truly extraordinary lengths to preserving or revive cars that are rarely celebrated – not to mention quite a few that had made the journey from all over Europe. It was a strong selection this year, with Callum Bailey’s 1999 Ford Mondeo coming in a close second. This base-model saloon had been destined for banger racing, but after spotting it on the back of a transporter managed to save it. Third place went to a bright yellow 1979 Citroën Visa Club – one of just three surviving in the UK.
While the main concours is obviously a huge highlight, some of the real gems are actually found in the FOTU-era parking area, which sees show visitors park up and display in the castle grounds. The event also featured rare prototype vehicles that had been brought along by the British Motor Museum, including the 1969 Mini 9X, the 1981 ECV3 and the Triumph SD2. Stephen Tearle’s Micra 1.0 Celebration, a family-owned survivor, won the British Motor Museum’s own award.
On stage, Smith and Sniff – the podcast duo of Jonny Smith and Richard Porter – brought their trademark wit and enthusiasm to the day, hosting live game shows and drawing large crowds.
As Mark Roper, Managing Director of Hagerty International, commented: ‘Festival of the Unexceptional continues to grow bigger with every year. Over the past 11 years we have seen FOTU-era cars become recognised as proper classic cars, and the younger owner demographic shows this is a new movement in car culture. Hagerty is proud to be at the forefront of this and, with events like The Amelia and Motorlux in our portfolio, it perfectly demonstrates how Hagerty works hard to delight all classic vehicle enthusiasts, whatever they drive.’
For more information, see hagerty.co.uk
