COMING UP
Even in the bleak midwinter there’s plenty to get you out of the house…
1 January Brooklands New Year’s Day Gathering
Classic car owners and enthusiasts wrap up warm and head to Brooklands to kick off 2018. Pre-’88 cars will assemble on the circuit’s famous banking, and the museum will be open all day, too – so it’s worth going along even if the weather is less than friendly.
brooklandsmuseum.com 7 January Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble
The first Scramble of the new year is sure to attract a good crowd as enthusiasts blow away the cobwebs of the Christmas period. Hagerty will provide advice in the Valuation Arena, and visitors can take to the sky in a Tiger Moth for a short flying lesson.
11-14 January Autosport International
Nigel Mansell is set to appear at this year’s show, and the NEC in Birmingham should as usual offer something to please fans of just about every motor sport discipline. There will be tyre-smoking action on the UK’s largest indoor track, too.
autosportinternational.com 11-14 January InterClassics Maastricht
The popular Dutch show will be celebrating its 25th anniversary with a display of 18 ‘prized specimens’ characterising the event over the years.
ic-tm.nl 24-28 January Cavallino Classic
This Palm Beach, Florida, event is chiefly known as a top-drawer gathering of mouthwatering Ferraris, but it does also feature a concours open to other marques, plus excellent Historic racing action at Palm Beach International Raceway.
cavallinoclassic.com 31 January – 7 February Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique
Crews set out from Oslo, Glasgow, Bad Homburg, Barcelona, Monte Carlo and Reims to gather in Isère, where the real fun begins. Over five days competitors will tackle regularity sections and 1000mplus peaks as they slither towards Monaco’s Port Hercule.
acm.mc 2-4 February Bremen Classic Motor Show
Drawing 45,000 visitors and some 650 exhibitors, the Bremen show is an inclusive affair, with all eras and most marques represented. Special displays this time will include a collection of Isle of Man TT-winning motorcycles.
classicmotorshow.de 4-8 February The Winter Trial
As ever, the exact route for the Winter Trial is being kept secret until shortly before the off, but we know that crews will visit Germany, Austria and Slovenia. Snow is expected from the start, and in the Trial class drivers and navigators will be challenged by a pair of night drives.
thewintertrial.nl 7-11 February Rétromobile
The halls of the Paris Expo in Porte de Versailles are filled with some of the finest classic cars in the world, but there’s room for quirky fare, too – the Berliet Foundation is showing a Centaure truck, for example. The 2018 show will celebrate the 120th anniversary of Renault and, for the first time, an area will be given over to sellers of affordable classics.
retromobile.com 15-18 February London Classic Car Show and Historic Motorsport International
Plans for 2018 include a fun gathering of noted getaway cars, and specials will be in action on the Grand Avenue runway inside London’s ExCeL. Tickets cover entry to both the Classic Car Show and Historic Motorsport International.
17-18 February 21 Gun Salute
Both a vintage car gathering and a cultural tour of New Delhi, 21 Gun Salute sees entrants – including some spectacular Maharaja-mobiles – gather at the Red Fort in the city for a concours before heading for Buddh International Circuit. 21gunsaluterally.com
18-22 February Winter Challenge
HERO will ask crews to drive high into the Alps en route from Le Touquet to Monte Carlo, but having battled through the elements on each stage the entrants will be rewarded with magnificent lunch locations.
heroevents.eu 23-25 February ClassicAuto Madrid
First held in 2010, ClassicAuto has grown from an industry event into a bustling show as popular with enthusiasts as it is with the trade.
classicautomadrid.com 23-25 February Race Retro
The winter’s traditional Historic motor sport show at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire will feature a bigger live rally stage than ever before, while inside the venue visitors will enjoy displays including a gathering of ground-effect F1 cars.
raceretro.com 1-3 March WinteRace
A field of 80 pre-1977 cars, a 400km route through the Dolomites and some of Europe’s most beautiful mountain scenery, and snow, snow and more snow.
winterace.it 3-5 March Antwerp Classic Salon
Over 350 exhibitors from 14 countries are set to attend the 41st Classic Salon, which will boast a ‘goldmine’ of parts and collectables as well as displays from clubs, dealers and museums.
siha.de 9-11 March Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
World-class classics will gather in Florida and, as always, there will be some superbly strange machinery on display, too: among the classes this year is one dedicated to custom king Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth.
ameliaconcours.org 9-11 March Phillip Island Classic
The largest Historic meeting in the Southern Hemisphere, held off Melbourne’s Western Port Bay, attracts cars from across the Antipodes and beyond.
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