A NEW VENUE FOR THE 2020 HAGERTY FESTIVAL OF THE UNEXCEPTIONAL SEES A MOVE TO LINCOLNSHIRE

Forging itself as one of the must-attend car events of the year, Hagerty announces a new venue for the spectacular Festival of the Unexceptional Concours de l’Ordinaire – the seventh year the event has been staged. The date for the 2020 event is Saturday July 25^th.

An increased demand for larger show space, and greater availability of tickets, prompted a change of venue and provided an opportunity to move geographically. The chosen location for 2020 is the beautiful Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire, a 1516 architectural masterpiece, showcasing a mix of Tudor and Baroque splendour, originally given as a wedding gift by Henry VIII to William, 11^th Lord Willoughby de Eresby. What better backdrop for the UK’s largest collection of mundane vehicular transport, perfectly befitting the status of those exhibits wearing hallowed Ghia, Vanden Plas and CD badging.

Originally staged by Hagerty in 2014 as the first event of its kind in Europe, the Festival has since earned its place in the automotive calendar as the only attainable concours event offering a mix of great cars and a prestigious location with an informal and friendly approach not often seen on the concours circuit.

As in previous years, the Festival celebrates much maligned and long forgotten ‘ordinary’ classic cars and commercial vehicles of the late 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, and remains the only concours that applauds an Astra, believes in base-models, makes a case for a Maxi and robustly defends a Daf. In keeping with the spirit of the event, guests are very welcome to arrive in the latest supercars but are forewarned that forward parking is offered in favour of an FSO over a Ferrari, a Metro will be fawned over more than any Maserati and a Zastava will gain more privileges than a Zonda.

Once again, Hagerty’s annual Concours de l’Ordinaire will be free to attend and open to classic cars and light commercial vehicles from across the globe that were built between 1966 and 1996. Last year’s panel of automotive expert judges deemed a gloriously original 1977 Morris Marina Deluxe Estate as overall winner, with a 1978 Vauxhall Chevette Deluxe E saloon as notable runner up.

Marcus Atkinson, Hagerty’s Managing Director said: “We operate in a changing market, and the phrase Classic Car now covers a wider variety of vehicles than ever before. The demographic is broadening, the cars diversifying and Hagerty deem it vitally important to be welcoming for all types of classic car owners and enthusiasts. Not only do we offer market leading insurance cover, we also provide an engaging calendar of events enabling owners to get out and drive their cars regularly. The 2020 Festival of the Unexceptional will be the biggest yet, and we are excited to exploit the opportunities this stunning new venue provides. While we may call the event unexceptional, it is far from it. We curate the best everyday cars ready to display informally and without stuffiness for everyone to enjoy. We may have more cars on show this year, but our fun and inclusive ethos for the show remains unchanged.”

The Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional celebrates a generational shift towards affordable classic cars and respects the love directed to them by owners and enthusiasts. The fact the event sells out year after year emphasises the deep-rooted understanding Hagerty has of market trends and movements, and highlights their passion for creating innovative and engaging events.

Owners of suitably mundane but interesting ‘unexceptional’ 1966-1996 vehicle will be able to register it for consideration from 14^th February at: http://www.unexceptionalcars.co.uk.

A limited number of public access tickets will be released in April. Once ‘sold out’ further tickets will be available to purchase.