Festival of the Unexceptional

The festival is the idea of Hagerty Insurance, who "wanted to raise the profile of vehicles which are not seen at Pebble Beach, Hampton Court, Goodwood or other such prestigious Concours events [...] ordinary cars to whom a large majority of people can truly relate; the first car you drove, your parent’s car or simply the car you admired on your neighbour’s drive". Regular judge and motoring writer Sam Skelton said that "we want to see the cars which littered street corners a couple of decades ago" and that the festival "celebrates those cars which were ubiquitous when new, and apathy has made rare in their old age". The festival has two arenas where cars are displayed: a ''Concours de l'Ordinaire of about fifty selected vehicles, and a general car park of ordinary classics. The Concours de l'Ordinaire'' is open to 'unexceptional' cars made between 1966 and 1996. ==History==

The inaugural event took place at Whittlebury Park, Northamptonshire, on 26 July 2014 and was attended by 300 people. Cars on the concours included Princess Diana's Austin Metro displayed by Coventry Transport Museum and the very small Peel P50 displayed by the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu. A range of other cars took part such as a Fiat Strada, Ford Cortina, Renault 6 and Vauxhall Chevette. The winner of the first concours was a Nissan Cherry Europe GTi, with the runner-up spot taken by a 1975 Austin Maxi. The winning Escort's owner described the car as "something of a family heirloom" that had been bought new by his father and later restored after it was nearly written off following an accident. At the 2016 event there were forty-five cars displayed on the concours; Best in Show was won by a 1980 Morris Marina pick-up and second place was taken by a 1979 VW Golf L. The People's Choice was awarded to a 1968 Hillman Minx estate. A new feature introduced this year was the Feast of the Unexceptional, a competition of 1970s-style picnics brought by visitors. In 2017 the event took place in the grounds of Stowe School in Buckinghamshire. A new feature was the selection of five cars from the car park that were invited to join the cars on the concours. The Best in Show award went to a 1983 Datsun Sunny 1.5 GL, with second place taken by a 1972 Daf 33 and the People's Choice awarded to a 1972 Austin Allegro SS. Second place went to a 1981 Datsun Bluebird GL saloon and the People's Choice award was won by a 1982 Fiat Strada 65CL. Over 2,000 people attended the event. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 event took place at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire. For the first time a special Chairman’s award was given to an immaculate 1997 Suzuki Baleno Saloon which was restored by a team of school friends. The 2024 event was the 10th anniversary event and took place on the 27th July, at Grimsthorpe Castle for the fourth time. The winner was a 1982 Toyota Hilux. The 2025 event was hosted at Grimsthorpe Castle and the winner was a 1992 Skoda Favorit Forum. ==References==