Festival of The Unexceptional

Hundreds of classics turn up to this year’s celebration of cars that were never really meant to be celebrated

This year’s Festival of the Unexceptional failed to live up to its name in one massive and disturbing way. An incredible 650 cars trundled up for this unique event, and like it or not, that number is exceptional.

In fact organisers couldn’t squeeze them all in – some had to slum it in the main car park at Stowe House in Buckinghamshire.

We would have happily taken some of them – the Lancia Trevi or immaculate Austin Metro, for example – home and spent hours debating whether the Triumph 2500 estate really qualified. Surely it’s too desirable?

Few could disagree with the car that eventually won best in show – the wonderful 1977 Chrysler Alpine 1.3 owned by Guy Maylam and Stuart Wade. They acquired it after the owner, who wanted to retain its cherished registration number, offered it for free to anyone who would MoT it. Guy says: ‘It turned out to be in a terrible state, but we didn’t give up.’

Runners-up included Gavin Bushby’s 1982 Fiat Strada 65CL, which escaped being scrapped by the family who owned it after 16 years in storage. Kev Curtis’ 23,000-mile Datsun Bluebird was another runner up.

The winner of the best picnic contest was the Mercedes-Benz 200T bought new by owner Julie Gandolfi’s parents. Julie says: ‘I asked mum to make up a picnic like she did when I was a little girl.’ Meanwhile, a Hepworth’s blue suit and some hair growth made Renault 16TS owner, Ed Morley, the bestdressed contest winner.

Elsewhere, Archie Forsyth, 18, and Ned Hiley, 19, departed the event for Mongolia in their £440 Nissan Micra. They have good reason – raising money for the Stroke Association by (hopefully) completing the 2018 Mongol Rally.

Meanwhile, one glance inside Des Cooke’s amazing Simca 1204 special took me back four decades. A British lady bought it new, then took it to Spain in 1976. ‘That’s what saved it,’ said Des, who found it on a French website.

Special tribute has to go to people’s choice winner – Sean Greenwood’s beige 1983 Ford Sierra, one of the first produced – which still bears the scars of its many years spent living on a Bradford council estate. He says: ‘It has to be started with a screwdriver and the mileage is definitely clocked.’

Best in Show-winning 1977 Chrysler Alpine 1.3 flanked by runners-up Fiat Strada 65CL (left) and tiny-mileage Datsun Bluebird. Chris Salter says that there aren’t many Citroën Visas left in this, er, subtle colour. ‘It really is poverty spec,’ says Sion Hudson of his 1985 53,000-mile Volvo. Chris Hillman says that he bought his base model 1985 Ford Escort because his dad used to own a similar one. James Cook with his Hillman Minx estate – a previous People’s Choice winner. Paul and Jenny Leblique have owned their yellow Imp for 30 colourful years.