As a date for your 2019 diary, next year’s Festival of the Unexceptional Concours de l’Ordinaire – being staged by leading classic vehicle insurance specialists, Hagerty – will be held for the sixth year in succession on Saturday 20 July 2019.
Originally staged by Hagerty in 2014 as the first event of its kind in Europe – to celebrate the ordinary, everyday cars that we all grew-up with, but have now all but disappeared – the light-hearted Festival of the Unexceptional (FOTU) has already become a must-attend event for the admirers of the mundane motor cars of our past; the Marinas, Metros, Chevettes, Corollas, Avengers, Allegros, Sunbeams, Sunnys and so on, with the event achieving cult status in just a few years.
For 2019, the location for this unique and fun Hagerty event will change to the delightful surroundings of the Claydon Estate, centrally located near Buckingham. The Claydon Estate has been chosen in marked contrast to the vehicles that will be participating in next year’s Festival, within the splendor of Claydon House as an enviable background to the days celebrations. These spectacular surroundings will perfectly set off the 2019 Hagerty concours, which celebrates the much maligned and long forgotten ‘ordinary’ classic cars and commercial vehicles of the late 1960s, 70s, 80s, and now the early 1990s too.
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, as epitomised by the 1977 Chrysler Alpine that was voted ‘Best of Show’ by a distinguished panel of motoring experts at the 2018 FOTU, and illustrated for the event’s 2019 poster image.
Any owner of a suitably mundane but interesting ‘unexceptional’ 1966-1996 vehicle will shortly be able to register it for consideration and potential participation between 1 January and 31 May 2019 at the latest, using the following link; that will go live in the New Year http://www.unexceptionalcars.co.uk. Vehicle manufacturers with a collection of suitable classic cars to represent their marque’s history are also free to enter for FOTU’s special ‘Invitation Class.’ Free public admission tickets are limited to 600, strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. When allocated, an additional 400 tickets can be purchased for £5.00 each. 2019 FOTU tickets can be applied for at the same web address.
On 20 July the 2019 FOTU will also see the return of Hagerty’s Feast of the Unexceptional, the period picnic equivalent of the banal 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 Babychamp! Participants will also be encouraged to dress in period fashions such as flared plaid trousers and skirts, bell bottoms and so on, to reflect the era of their vehicle should they wish, with the potential to win the Hagerty ‘Best Dressed’ award on the day.
Angus Forsyth, Hagerty’s Managing Director said: “We are delighted to be hosting the Festival of the Unexceptional at the fabulous new venue of the Claydon Estate. The grounds are spectacular and the imposing Claydon House will add to the majesty of the event and enhance everyone’s enjoyment of this terrific and unique motoring event. In the past years, we have met the most marvellous people with the most exceptional ‘unexceptional’ vehicles, bettered only by the stories that lie in the background of the history of the cars. The Festival is a great opportunity to celebrate these unusual classics and to recognise their lasting impact.”
Leave a Reply