Festival of the Unexceptional 2026: Summer’s must-see classic car celebration
Thu, 30 Jul 2026
Hagerty’s Festival of the Unexceptional is a car show with a difference – rather than worshipping bespoke and few-off creations worth more than the combined value of all the prizes ever given away on Bullseye to the power of several thousand pounds, its visitors celebrate unsung automotive heroes from 1970 to 2001.
Saturday 25 July 2026 proved to be typical of this summer's hottest days, causing the faces of many in attendance to be glossier and garnet-like than the faded-to-pink paintwork of many a formerly red car.
Not that scorched skin dulled the spirits of devotees for whom the Festival of the Unexceptional – known as FOTU for both ease and more effective social media hashtagging – has become the annual classic car event.
What makes FOTU different?
Beyond providing automotive enthusiasts with a valuations service, specialist insurance packages and club membership, Hagerty’s UK operation also hosts a number of carefully themed vehicular events.
Festival of the Unexceptional is the jewel in its crown – particularly if said bejewelled headwear was an Elizabeth Duke diamante tiara selected from the Argos catalogue.
Lincolnshire’s Grimsthorpe Castle once again played host to FOTU, where automotive dopamine was administered upon the expansive lawns in front of the mansion, courtesy of row-upon-row of classic hatchbacks, saloons, estates, MPVs, SUVs, vans and pickups, plus a smattering of un-sporty coupes and convertibles.
Any curious noises heared weren’t from EVs performing low-speed manoeuvres, but squealing alternators and slightly blowy exhausts.
Many of the vehicles brought along by their proud owners were among yesteryear’s best-sellers, once common sights on the nation’s roads.
Yet these motors embody ordinariness to such great effect that we stopped noticing them – until such time as there were so few of them around it’s impossible not to notice them, usually accompanied by involuntary gasps and finger-pointing.
Further amplifying the frenzy of FOTU’s patrons were bargain-basement examples of those once omnipresent cars. It’s a wholesome world where City bests Vandan Plas, Popular trumps Ghia and Merit outdoes CD.
Who really wants to luxuriate on crushed velour upholstery while the breeze from the tilt-and-slide sunroof teases through your hair when you could be baking in base-model brilliance courtesy of lava-hot vinyl seats and a single-speed fan?
FOTU: a classic car show for everyone
Every car at FOTU is a potential random memory trigger, stopping you in your tracks as you recall people you knew – if not the much younger you – having ‘had one of those’.
Cars are such a common denominator in everyone’s lives that you didn’t need to be ‘into’ them to enjoy whiling away several hours in the Lincolnshire sunshine – sentimentality is soul-nourishing.
Therein lies another of the Festival’s major draws because the cars on show are great levellers, ensuring the event attracts – nay, welcomes and encourages – all threads from society’s fabric, both at home and from overseas.
Even fully paid-up, anorak-wearing automotive geeks [author winks to camera] readily acknowledge that many classic car shows are terminally dull affairs attended only by those with PhDs in pipe-smoking or wistful beard-stroking, but FOTU is universally enjoyable.
You’re just as likely to hear a middle-aged guy cautiously ask ‘what’s the difference between a Granada and a Scorpio?’ without fear of being ridiculed for not knowing, as you are a woman in her early-20s questioning the owner of a Talbot Samba about the differences between it and the contemporary Citroen LNA and Peugeot 104.
FOTU: Satisfying that competitive spirit
Many people have a competitive streak that needs to be satisfied, albeit in an arena steeped in bonhomie. One such venue is the Festival of the Unexceptional’s Concours de l’Ordinaire enclosure.
A selection of 40 of the most unexceptional vehicles were shortlisted, judged by a team of luminaries from the automotive industry, with great attention being paid to the stories behind the cars and vans entered, not just their condition and originality.
This year’s esteemed judging ensemble comprised Gary Axon, Jon Bentley, Jesse Billington, Richard Bremner, Steve Cropley and Steph Hoy, with HJ contributor Antony Ingram in charge.
Among the vehicles vying for the judges’ attention were a de-Austined Montego Countryman Estate, a driving school favourite K11 Nissan Micra and a rear-engined Skoda Estelle Two.
This year’s Concours de l’Ordinaire podium positions went to Jack Seddon’s 2001 Ford Focus in third position, while Matt Swinn netted second place with his 1992 Toyota Previa – a mid-engined MPV which he uses to ferry his band and their gear from gig to gig.
Overall Festival of the Unexceptional Champion was Gordon McNeill’s well-used and well-loved 2001 Volkswagen Polo. True to the FOTU ethos, Gordon’s blue hatchback was in entry-level E specification, yet in spite of its scarcity of standard equipment, it's covered 176,000 miles, some of which were accumulated by lapping the Nurburgring.
There was no public vote for the People’s Champion Award this year, but the judges gave special commendations for a quintet of unexceptional heroes:
- 1986 Citroen Axel – Rick Martens
- 1982 Fiat 127 – Maia Egan
- 1991 Ford P100 – Jack Duxbury
- 1994 Honda Civic Bali – Emma Rowe
- 2000 Kia Clarus Wagon – Marwin Jansen
Every FOTU Concours de l’Ordinaire Champion
- 2014: Nissan Cherry Europe GTi
- 2015: Ford Escort Mk2
- 2016: Morris 575 (Marina-derived) pickup
- 2017: Datsun Sunny
- 2018: Chrysler Alpine
- 2019: Morris Marina Estate
- 2021: Proton Saloon
- 2022: Vauxhall Astra Mk3
- 2023: Daihatsu Applause
- 2024: Toyota Hilux pickup
- 2025: Skoda Favorit Forum
- 2026: Volkswagen Polo E
What else was going on at FOTU 2026?
Platformed on the Hagerty live stage were a series of chats and discussions, headlined by the Brut-scented Jonny Smith and Land Rover Freelander blouse-enthusiast Richard Porter off of podcasting’s Smith and Sniff.
Stephen Laing, the British Motor Musuem’s head of collections, led a fascinating insight into the world of British Leyland blind alleys and missed opportunities. Not only does the museum’s archive contain documentary records of the former car manufacturing giant’s sorry tale, it’s home to an array of prototype cars which didn’t make production, several of which were on display at FOTU.
Augmenting the FOTU vibe was The Telegraph’s display of some of the UK’s rarest cars, as determined by how few are presently taxed and road-legal.
Somewhat inevitably while wandering wistfully around the rows of lurid green Austin Metros, Parma Violet-hued Hyundai Accents and hearing aid beige-alike Volvo 240 Estates, many a tempting car was for sale. Sadly, none of them could be put through HonestJohn.co.uk’s accounts as a legitimate business expense.
See you again at 2027’s Festival of the Unexceptional? Thought so.
