Biggest ever Festival of the Unexceptional wows the crowds
CLASSIC WORLD
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The eighth Festival of the Unexceptional took place on July 30 at Grimsthorpe Castle, and with 1200 real world classics in attendance, it was the biggest yet. This year the winner, chosen by judges Jon Bentley, Steve Cropley, Tanya Field, Sam Skelton, Gary Axon and our own editor, Danny Hopkins, was Samuel Allan, and his 1994 Vauxhall Astra Merit 1.4. ‘I didn’t expect to win,’
Sam told PC. ‘I bought the car from an old boy across the street in 2019, after eyeing it up for nearly a decade. I left a note asking whether he would consider selling it. The phone call came within an hour of leaving the note.’ Sam has tried to keep it as original as possible, and only uses it on dry days now – unless he is driving it to the festival from his home in Edinburgh that is. ‘It has survived the Scottish weather remarkably well,’ he laughed, ‘that is a tribute to the old guy that kept it so well. I’ll never sell it.’
Runner up was a 1986 Skoda Estelle owned by Matthew Bareham, who had fully restored the car. Once the butt of jokes, this Estelle is now a trophy-winner. ‘My partner Rob and our friend Simon and I spent two years rebuilding the car.’ A special mention went to a 1991 Hyundai Pony, whose owner had driven across Europe from Warsaw, just for the show. Paul Anderson’s 1972 Simca 1501 special also got the nod and a first concours appearance from a Renault Megane Scenic, owned by Chris Williams, also caught the judges’ attention. A fabulous Fiat Panda Italia 90, owned by John Corbett, also gained a special mention (on the weekend that our women won the Euros) along with a truly remarkable Toyota Sprinter Carib.
Owned by Udara David, it’s been in his family since
