COMING UP
Summer’s here at last! Time to take your pick of the season’s choicest events
29 June – 1 July Vernasca Silver Flag
‘Vitesse en Bleu’ is the theme for this year’s event – meaning the keenly anticipated Italian hillclimb will have a distinctly French flavour this time around. vernascasilverflag.it
29 June – 1 July Concours d’Elegance Paleis Het Loo
The biggest classic car event in The Netherlands has a suitably grand venue: the 17th Century Het Loo palace. To complement all the shine and splendour there’s a sprint for pre-war cars. concourselegance.com
30 June – 1 July Heveningham Hall Concours d’Elegance
Around 50 A-list classics at a Grade 1-listed Georgian mansion with adjacent country fair. heveninghamconcours.com
30 June – 1 July VHRA Pendine Sands Hot Rod Races
The Vintage Hot Rod Association heads to Wales to race until the tide comes in. vhra.co.uk
30 June – 1 July The Ellis Journey
Re-enactment of the first motor car journey in the UK. A 43-mile drive from Micheldever Station to Datchet will be preceded by a static display on the Saturday. Pre-1905 two- and threewheeled machines welcome. dedionboutonclub.co.uk
1 July Brooklands Motorcycle Show
Bikes new, old and ancient meet at Brooklands for a summer celebration of two-wheeled motoring. Test Hill and museum will be open. brooklandsmuseum.com
6-8 July Le Mans Classic
Visitors will see some 600 cars hammering around the Mecca of endurance racing, and 8000 more parked around the track. peterauto.peter.fr
7-8 July Chateau Impney Hill Climb
The run up the driveway of this French-style hotel in Droitwich was resurrected in 2015 and will be tackled by more than 200 entrants this time around. chateauimpneyhillclimb.com
8 July Rally of the Giants
The Rally, organised by the Pre-’50 American Auto Club, returns to Blenheim Palace, offering Brits a chance to enjoy cars not commonly seen on this side of the pond. pre50aac.com
8-13 July RAC 1000 Mile Trial
It’s 895 miles, but who’s counting? This highlight of the motoring calendar is inspired by the journey made in 1899 to introduce the car to the nation. heroevents.eu
12-15 July Goodwood Festival of Speed
There is no shortage of events this year paying tribute to Porsche, but the daddy of motoring festivals will inevitably do a more spectacular job than most. grrc.goodwood.com
13-15 July Schloss Bensberg Supersports Classics
A concours and rally for (road-legal) cars combining, as the organisers put it, ‘aesthetics and athletics’. schlossbensbergsupersportsclassics.de
13-15 July Dragstalgia
Santa Pod’s annual nostalgia weekend will serve up the sights (astonishing), sounds (bonerattling) and smells (potent) of drag racing in years gone by. santapod.co.uk
14 July Prescott 80th Anniversary and Bugatti Festival
For once the cars will have to share the limelight at Prescott, as former hill-record-holders gather to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the venue. prescott-hillclimb.com
15 July Sherborne Castle Classic & Supercars
There will be a bit of everything, from rally cars to vintage motorcyles, at this year’s event, but Land Rover will be the centre of attention thanks to a special display charting the 70-year history of the marque. classic-supercars.co.uk
RAC 1000 Mile Trial, 8-13 July Image: Blue Passion
17 July An Evening with Aston Martin
Fine dining in London, plus Steve Rider interviewing Aston heroes past and present. aneveningwithastonmartin.co.uk
18-21 July Ennstal Classic
Regularities based around Gröbming in the mountainous Austrian province of Styria. ennstal-classic.at
19-21 July Eifel Rallye Festival
Not your average ‘slowly sideways’ event. Held on closed stages used in the German rally championship, the Festival features ‘spirited’ driving, and the line-up of cars is excellent. eifel-rallye-festival.de
20-22 July Silverstone Classic
Vast festival with over 1000 racers lining up on track and bands playing into the evening. Headliners this year are UB40 and Soul II Soul. silverstoneclassic.com
27-29 July Concours d’Elegance of America
Three days of events at the Inn at St John’s in Plymouth, including a ‘cars and coffee’ morning, culminating in the concours itself. concoursusa.org
27-29 July CarFest North
The ever-popular charity event returns to the 6500-acre estate of Bolesworth Castle in Cheshire. The music this year will be provided by the legendary Burt Bacharach and The Proclaimers among others. carfest.org
28-29 July Atomic Festival
A weekend of 1950s-themed entertainment, including drag racing, at Sywell Aerodrome. It has a US flavour, but all sorts of pre-1967 cars, ’bikes and commercials will be there. atomicfestival.co.uk
28-29 July Classic Nostalgia
Group A, Group B, WRC and F1 cars will all be tested by the historic hillclimb at Shelsley Walsh, where they will share space in the paddock with all the more usual four- and two-wheeled suspects. There will be an Octane Concours, too, for pre-1985 cars. shelsleywalsh.com