1. References

2. External links

The Festival of the Unexceptional is a Concours d'Elegance style car show held in Whittlebury, Northamptonshire, featuring classic cars from the seventies and eighties that were considered ordinary once new, but now quite rare.^[1]

The inaugural Concours de l’Ordinaire event took place on 26 July 2014 and included Princess Diana's Austin Metro displayed by Coventry Transport Museum and the very small Peel P50 displayed by National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.^[2] A range of other cars took part such as the Austin Maxi, Fiat Strada, Ford Cortina, Nissan Cherry Europe, Renault 6 and Vauxhall Chevette also took part.

The event returned in 2015 with 40 cars taking to the driving range at Whittlebury hall, winning this time was an Escort 1600L Mk2 4 door,with second place going to a Fiat 127. Hillman Avenger Estate took the People's Choice award

The 3rd running of the event was won by a Morris Marina pick up, followed by a VW Golf L and People's Choice: Hillman Minx estate!

New for 2016 was the Fest of Unexceptional, celebrating the best of picnics from the 70s and 80s!

For 2017 the Festival of the Unexceptional has a new home, with the event is moving just a few miles down the road from its previous venue, relocating to the stunning surroundings of Stowe House, Buckingham, MK18 5HZ, next to the Silverstone motor circuit.

Stowe House has been chosen as a marked contrast to the vehicles that will be participating in this year’s Festival, with the splendor of Capability Brown’s gardens at this former home of the Duke of Buckingham. This spectacular backdrop will perfectly set off the annual concours, which celebrates the much maligned and long forgotten ‘ordinary’ classic cars and commercial vehicles of the late ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

The 2017 event will also see the return of Hagerty’s Feast of the Unexceptional, the period picnic equivalent of the mundane automotive display. All participants are encouraged to bring out the Battenberg cake, Curly Wurly bars, cheese and pineapple on sticks and, of course, the obligatory bottle of Babycham!

A changeable weather forecast did not deter over 2,000 people from travelling to Stowe House near Buckingham for Hagerty’s 2017 Festival of the Unexceptional. With the wonderful new backdrop of the National Trust house, the event was always going to be a step up from that of previous years, and so it proved.

The concours cars filled the front of the lawn, with fifty specially selected Unexceptional models vying for title of Best in Show. There was a wonderfully original 1982 Austin Metro in glorious beige, next to a gorgeous 1980 Austin Maxi 1750 in stunning orange. Flying the ‘modern classics’ flag was Gavin Bushby’s 1990 Fiat Tempra, a car bought unseen from Scotland and in superb condition; the back seat, in blue velour, looking almost untouched.

After a long session of deliberation, the judges emerged and Danny Hopkins announced the winners, the presentation hastening towards the end as an ominous cloud approached. The winners were:

Best in Show: 1983 Datsun Sunny 1.5 GL (Mark Ashbridge)

Second Place: 1972 Daf 33 (Richard Holness)

People’s Choice: 1972 Austin Allegro SS (Colin Corke – believed to be the very last Allegro SS)

Best Dressed: Simon Martin

Feast of the Unexceptional/ Best Picnic: John Usher

The 2018 event will once again be held at Stowe School on July 14th

References

External links

• {{official website|https://www.hagertyinsurance.co.uk/Articles-and-Resources/Events/Festival-of-the-Unexceptional}}

2016 Event review https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/news/festival-of-the-unexceptional-2016/

2016 Event report https://petrolicious.com/concours-de-l-ordinaire-is-as-charmingly-mundane-as-it-sounds

2017 Event Report https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/features/festival-unexceptional-2017-celebration-ordinary-cars-pictures/

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