Green fuels, Lady Brown’s Aston DB5 and a carefully rescued shed…
The Royal Automobile Club is revving up to honour the stars of Britain’s historic motoring and motorsport worlds at its coveted Historic Awards, to be held at a glittering celebration in Pall Mall, London on Thursday, 21 November.
The judges – a meeting of expert minds – have done their work, and excitement is building as the shortlist for the eight categories is announced today.
Over the past few weeks, eight independent panels of specialist judges, each handpicked for their expertise in the category they assess, have scrutinised a host of very strong nominations received from classic motoring enthusiasts and industry professionals alike. These have been thoroughly debated and whittled down to create shortlists which perfectly reflect the breadth and scale of this sector, and now the judges have the even more difficult task of selecting the winners.
The Royal Automobile Club started its Historic Awards in 2019, acutely aware that the UK’s historic motoring clubs, events, associations, companies and special individuals deserved recognition for their unsung achievements. Since then, close to 100 contenders have been accorded merit as finalists, chosen by judges invited solely for their expertise and independence of outlook.
The 2024 Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards finalists are:
COMPETITIVE EVENT
- Lydden Legend Festival
- Roger Albert Clark Rally
- VSCC 2023 Cotswold Trial
INNOVATION
- Goodwood Revival (for being the first full historic race meeting to run entirely on sustainable fuel)
- HCVA ‘Action on Parts’ initiative
- Rustival
MOTORING SPECTACLE
- Senna 30 Year Legacy at Silverstone Festival
- The inaugural Interclub-International Weekend
- Festival of the Unexceptional 10th Anniversary
MUSEUMS & COLLECTIONS
- The British Motor Museum
- The National Motor Museum
- The Tyrrell Shed at Goodwood
OUTSTANDING JOURNALISM
- Giles Chapman – Watt’s the Story (The Automobile)
- Andrew Nahum – PCV, the Life and Machines of Philip Conrad Vincent (The Automobile)
- Damien Smith – Alain Prost (MotorSport)
PERSONAL ENDEAVOUR
- Angela Hucke
- Dominic Taylor-Lane
- Nigel Parrott
RESTORATION
- 1927 Bentley 3 Litre Boat Tail Speed Model – Julian Parker Ltd
- 1965 ‘Lady Brown’ Aston Martin DB5 – RS Williams
- 1939 ERA E-Type GP2 – TipTop Engineering
YOUNG ACHIEVER
- Tom Cowling – the YouTuber whose relentless campaign helped ensure the preservation of several ‘lost’ MG Rover prototypes
- Max Edleston – who this year stepped up to become Lead Photographer at Classic & Sports Car
- Catherine Ruff – a machinist at Kingsbury Racing who produces superb parts for vintage Bentleys and the Bentley Motors continuation cars
“Our judges go to extraordinary lengths to identify excellence, getting together in groups to analyse candidates in minute detail,” said Jeremy Vaughan, Head of Motoring for the Royal Automobile Club. “I thank them on behalf of everyone involved.
“It’s an honour for us to make all this possible – to support this thriving sector which does so much to be a great industry for Britain. You can be sure we’ll put on quite a show at our Pall Mall clubhouse for our winners, in a place that’s well used to celebrating success.”
The judges take to the road
For some of the juries, judging involves a road trip. The Museums & Collections panel, for example, confirmed their finalists by visiting each shortlisted candidate in turn, while the Restoration panel is examining the finalists closely and quizzing the restorers themselves, before they select the winning car.
This rigorous, independent and expert judging is a key element of the Club’s Historic Awards, and one which makes these such valuable accolades to receive. This year’s Lead Judges are Sarah Bennett-Baggs (Editor, Auto Addicts and an active historic motorsport competitor), Alastair Clements (Editor-in-Chief, Classic & Sports Car), Steve Cropley (Editor-in-Chief, Autocar), Vanessa Marçais (historic motorsport organiser), Lizzie Pope (Associate Editor, Classic & Sports Car), Simon Taylor (journalist, author, publisher, motor racing commentator and car collector) Ian Titchmarsh (motorsport commentator and Trustee of Silverstone Heritage) and Allan Winn, Director and former CEO of Brooklands Museum.
An evening of excellence
On 21 November, at the Royal Automobile Club on Pall Mall, London, Formula 1 presenter Lee McKenzie will host the Historic Awards, at which the Club will reveal the eight category winners and also present the Royal Automobile Club Lifetime Achievement Award. This is in recognition of an individual who has made a truly outstanding contribution to British motoring and/or motorsport heritage over many decades.
Tickets are now available for one of the most important industry nights in the calendar.
A history of celebrating excellence
Since their inception in 2019, the Awards have recognised a remarkable range of individuals, institutions, events and achievements, underlining the breadth of the historic motoring world. The Awards extend the Club’s 127-year pedigree in recognising motoring accomplishments through its trophies and medals.
For further information and to purchase tickets for the Awards dinner, please visit royalautomobileclubhistoricawards.co.uk.
