Festival of the Unexceptional set to be a sell out

David Ross, Editor
Mon, 19 Jun 2023

The Festival of the Unexceptional 2023 looks likely to be a sell out event this year with only 200 tickets left on sale. This year's event takes place on Saturday 29th of July at Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire.

Established by Hagerty in 2014, the Festival of the Unexceptional has become a highly anticipated event in the automotive calendar.

It offers a unique concours experience that celebrates the remarkable charm of ordinary classic cars. With a mix of rare vehicles this event provides an informal and friendly atmosphere for car enthusiasts.

It showcases the often underappreciated and forgotten 'ordinary' classic cars and commercial vehicles from the late 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.

The star attraction of Hagerty's Festival of the Unexceptional is the Concours de l’Ordinaire. Taking place in the main courtyard of Grimsthorpe Castle, the Concours lawn will feature 50 exceptional everyday classic cars competing to be crowned the best of the best. These cars will be judged by a panel of highly experienced motoring experts.

This year's highlights include an extremely rare Yugo Sana, a survivor from 1990, an early Vauxhall Corsa LS that was once a common sight on the roads, a beloved Austin Princess from 1976 and a stunning Ford Cortina Carousel from 1980.

In addition to the Concours de l’Ordinaire, visitors can enjoy hundreds of classic cars from the Festival of the Unexceptional era on display in the parking area in front of the Concours lawn. 

2023 marks the inaugural Hagerty Battle of the Blands, a competition designed for FOTU-worthy car clubs. Representatives from five selected car clubs will take the main stage and vie for the title of the best mundane motoring car.

With two-minute pitches, they will try to convince showgoers that their beloved vehicle is the ultimate choice. The pitches will be judged by Hagerty FOTU compere Charlotte Vowden, who will ensure the speeches are as exciting as the cars. Car clubs interested in participating can apply through the provided link.

Tickets are priced at £25 a car and you can buy them here.

Ask HJ

I have £1000 to spend on my first classic car - what do you suggest I buy?

I have managed to save around £1000 and want to buy my first classic car to keep long term. I have always liked my Fords and while I really wanted a Mk5 Cortina, I have to be realistic. I would like your thoughts on a Ford Focus Mk1 as it was a game-changing car in its day and good examples are in my price range. Is this a reasonable prospect to buy and keep and if so, what model would you recommend?

At the moment, the demand for Mk1 Focus is centred heavily around the RS. It's not always easy to match up a car that you want and one that will appreciate, so be prepared to decide what's most important. But we reckon the ST170 is a good shout. You might not find a fantastic example for the money, but you could save up a bit longer and get one. Whatever you do, be sure to set aside some money for maintenance - no car is ever fault-free and this generation of modern classics is reaching a point where they will need some money spending on them to keep them going. Make sure you do your homework on insurance, too - there's no hard and fast rule about what is and isn't a classic so if you're looking to get one a classic policy not every insurer might be able to offer one. Like you say, the Mk1 Focus was a gamechanger, but it will take time to appreciate as a classic - purely because there were so many of them.

Answered by Keith Moody

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