COMING UP…
As the classic car world’s shortest-ever summer draws to a close, there’s still plenty for enthusiasts to do
23-26 September
Salon Privé
The Blenheim Palace-based event is actually two shows rolled into one: the traditional concours field will be replaced on the Friday by a new display documenting the evolution of the supercar. salonpriveconcours.com
24-27 September
Spa Six Hours
A wonderful long weekend of wheel-to-wheel action, whatever the weather, but spectators will unfortunately not be allowed in to enjoy the racing this year. spasixhours.com
25-27 September Summer Trial
Based in Telford this time for easy access to the roads of North and Mid Wales, the Summer Trial is the perfect introduction to rallying for rookie crews, and always a fun weekend for old hands. heroevents.eu
26 September
ABC Trial
Reformatted to run solely in the Betuwe region of the Netherlands, but that’s a big enough playground for an entertaining 280km route. thetrial.nl
1-4 October
Gran Premio Terre di Canossa This rally takes crews through some absurdly attractive parts of northern Italy, from Salsomaggiore Terme to Scandiano. There’s a ‘culinary itinerary’ to match… granpremioterredicanossa.it
3 October
Swiss Classic British
Car Meeting
The Swiss town of Morges on the shore of Lake Geneva welcomes some 1600 British cars. The red carpet will be rolled out for anyone arriving in a Morgan or Triumph, those being the featured marques. british-cars.ch
3-4 October
Castle Combe Autumn Classic The pits at Castle Combe will be filled with everything from Formula Juniors to Frazer Nashes, but the spectator areas will be empty following a decision to hold the event behind closed doors. castlecombecircuit.co.uk
4 October
Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble
The final Scramble of the year, scheduled just before Jack Frost’s annual visit to the UK, is always a busy affair, and more than two dozen car clubs plan to attend. bicesterheritage.co.uk
4 October Shuttleworth Race Day
In the name of social distancing, this Bedfordshire airshow will be a drive-in event for 2020, with commentary on FM radio as the vintage planes buzz around. shuttleworth.org
4-9 October
Highland Thistle Rally
Crews will start and finish in St Andrews on Scotland’s east coast, but the 1800km route will take them as far west as the Isle of Skye, then up into the northern reaches of the country, and through the Cairngorms on the way home. rallytheglobe.com
9-11 October
Estoril Classics
In a season bedevilled by cancellations, racers have been looking forward to Peter Auto’s season finale for even longer than usual. Eight championships, including Classic Endurance Racing and Group C, will be decided on the twisting tarmac of Estoril Circuit. peterauto.peter.fr
9-11 October
Vater und Sohn
You’ll need a Porsche as well as a son (or a father) to join this rally in Germany’s Black Forest, which includes a day of friendly competition. happyfewracing.com
9-11 October
Oldtimer Show Budapest
The vehicles shown in the Hungarian capital always include some fascinating Eastern European rarities scarcely known to the average car enthusiast. oldtimershow.hu
10-11 October
Nogaro Classic Festival
More than 1000 classic cars and motorcycles will be displayed at the Circuit Paul Armagnac in south-western France, where they will share the spotlight with guest of honour Jacky Ickx. circuit-nogaro.com
11 October Brooklands Autumn Motorsport Day Competition cars of all shapes, sizes and degrees of elderliness take to the track at MercedesBenz World before sprinting (or struggling) up the Test Hill. brooklandsmuseum.com
11-15 October Modena Cento Ore Classic One hundred classics follow a route from Rome to Modena, stopping along the way to enjoy Florence and and circuit races at the Autodromo dell’Umbria, Mugello and Imola. modenacentooreclassic.it
15-18 October Trophée en Corse
Following in the tyre tracks of the WRC cars of old, crews will cover 800km of Corsican tarmac in three days, starting in PortoVecchio and finishing in Ajaccio. rallystory.com
15-18 October
Targa Florio Classica Mercifully less strenuous than the original Targa Florio, this regularity race – based in Palermo – allows crews time to enjoy Sicily’s spectacular scenery and food as well as its roads. targa-florio.it
16-18 October Goodwood SpeedWeek Following the sadly inevitable cancellation of the Festival of Speed and the Revival Meeting, Goodwood will combine elements of both events, behind closed doors, and broadcast all the action for free on the Goodwood website. Chapeau! goodwood.com
16-18 October Lombard Rally Bath (inc Kemble Rally Festival on 17th) Gravel-munching machines of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s will be in action on the Lombard Rally Bath, including spectator stages at Kemble Airfield. lombardrallybath.co.uk
16-22 October
La Carrera Panamericana
For the first time in a long time, getting to Mexico for the Panamericana might be more challenging than the race itself. Those who make the start-line in Oaxaca will drive for a week to reach Torreón, tackling 689km of speed stages along the way. lacarrerapanamericana.com.mx
17-18 October Ardennen Rennen
Classic VWs and Porsches, including go-faster outlaws and coachbuilt creations, head from Liège to Bastogne and back. ardennenrennen.be
22 October
The Historic Motoring Awards Covid-19 has put paid to the ceremony in London, but the show must go on(line). Register your interest on the website and you’ll be able to watch live as this year’s winners are announced. historicmotoringawards.co.uk
22-25 October
Mille Miglia
Rescheduled from May to October, for obvious reasons, but otherwise unchanged: entrants will drive from Brescia to Rome and back, in a hurry, in the company of some of the world’s greatest classic cars. 1000miglia.it