MotoFest’s biggest weekend yet

Time trials, classic runs and club displays attract a record turnout

More than 140,000 car fans packed into Coventry for this free-to-attend city centre celebration of classics.

This year’s MotoFest transformed the streets into a love letter to the city’s automotive heritage, with star entrants including vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover’s heritage collection. Highlights included the car demonstration runs on the city’s ring road and the introduction of competitive timed trials – only the second event to take advantage of a recent change in the law, which allows them to be held on public roads. Anyone who ventured into the city centre’s pedestrianised area was further rewarded with a host of classic cars brought along by clubs from across the UK, plus a Coventry University display celebrating the life of Frederick Lanchester.

Event director, James Noble, said: ‘ This year’s MotoFest was a record-breaker, with our biggest ever number of visitors attending the event.

‘ The sprint competition proved to be a phenomenal success, with all the competitors expressing their delight at the opportunity to become historymakers and take part in the first closed road motorsports competition on a UK city centre circuit in almost 30 years.

‘We look forward to creating more legendary chapters in the MotoFest story as we take the event forward into the future.’ Reverendpixel

‘It was a recordbreaker, with our biggest-ever number of visitors’

The city centre’s pedestrianised shopping area was given over to classic club displays.

Modified Mazda MX-5 MkI struts its stuff in the Fueltopia Action Arena.

One notable highlight was the return of motor sport to a UK city centre.

Chris Simmons proudly displayed his 1971 Triumph TR6, which he fully restored when he bought it, 25 years ago.

The British Motor Museum’s Austin 100hp was built for the 1908 French Grand Prix.