MOTORING’S RAREST SURVIVORS CELEBRATED

The Silverstone Classic will now also showcase once familiar everyday vehicles that are now anything but

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE THE CLASSIC AT SILVERSTONE, SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT, TOWCESTER NN12 8TN. 26-28 AUGUST

As much as the Silverstone Classic is a lot about very expensive machines going very fast around the circuit, this year will also see a gathering of some of the scarcest vehicles in Britain. They won’t, however, be speedy supercars or luxury leviathans – instead, the UK’S Rarest Cars display will spotlight once mainstream, mass-produced family favourites that have now largely disappeared.

The list of 50 once common cars is being curated by CCW contributor, Andrew Roberts, who also writes for The Daily Telegraph with a regular feature on cars that were once everywhere but have seen their numbers wiped out by the passing of time. Following on from last year’s inaugural staging, this year’s collection will be expanded in number and be on show throughout the three days of the Silverstone Classic.

Models already confirmed include mainstays as well as a few leftfield curios. There will be the obligatory Austin Allegro as well as Fiats 127 and 128, a Hillman Hunter, MG Metro, Vauxhall Chevette and Rover SD1 – a 2300, not the Vitesse – as well as Ford Consuls, Cortinas, Escorts and Sierras. They will be joined by rarities such as the Fiat Argenta, Renault 17 and Citroën Ami Super.

Andrew says: ‘I have selected seldomspotted models that evoke vivid memories and emotions. Some are mass-market vehicles that buyers virtually took for granted; others are imports with no clearly defined role in this country. There are also large saloons that fell prey to rust and/or banger racing. And each tells a story about British motoring history.’

❚ silverstone.co.uk/events/the-classic