A 25-year-old car with battle-scarred paintwork, 176,000 miles and one devoted owner has been crowned champion at the biggest Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional yet.
The 12th running of the event took place at Grimsthorpe Castle on Saturday, where 4,500 people gathered to celebrate the ordinary cars that once filled Britain’s streets, driveways and supermarket car parks.
Tickets had sold out in advance, while around 2,500 wonderfully unexceptional vehicles filled the grounds and stretched down the castle driveway.
Hagerty launched the first Festival of the Unexceptional in 2014 as a celebration of overlooked family cars, particularly the basic models that were rarely preserved once their useful lives were over.
The event now welcomes cars from the 1970s through to the early years of the new millennium, attracting owners and visitors from across the world.
This year’s gathering included Ladas, Yugos and Austins, but there were also some genuinely scarce survivors hiding among the more familiar machinery.
A Fiat Strada Convertible, Talbot Tagora and more than one Citroën LNA were joined by unusual sights including a Toyota Corona Mark II pick-up and a remarkably well-preserved Ford Sierra Sapphire 2.3D GL.
These were once simply everyday cars. Today, finding any of them in surviving condition can be far harder than locating many supposedly more desirable classics.
UK Barn Finds attended this year’s Festival with Anglia Car Auctions, bringing along our recently rescued 1995 Ford Fiesta 1.6 Si.
The Fiesta had been off the road since 2014 and was displayed alongside Anglia Car Auctions’ 1973 Morris Marina barn find.
Both cars fitted naturally into an event built around ordinary vehicles, forgotten survivors and the stories behind them. Neither needed to be polished to perfection to attract attention, and that is a large part of what makes the Festival of the Unexceptional so refreshing.
At the heart of the Festival was the Concours de l’Ordinaire, featuring 50 cars selected to represent some of the finest surviving examples of everyday motoring.
The judging panel included Steve Cropley, Steph Hoy, Richard Bremner, Jesse Billington, Antony Ingram, Gary Axon and Jon Bentley.
Rather than concentrating solely on immaculate paintwork or financial value, the judges considered the history, condition and character of each car, together with the dedication shown by its owner.
After plenty of deliberation, the top three were chosen.
Third place went to Jake Seddon and his 2001 Ford Focus.
The Focus originally belonged to Jake’s grandfather before being restored by his father. It is now owned and enjoyed by Jake, making it a car with a genuine connection across three generations of the same family.
Jake displayed it with family photographs, including images of his grandfather, and held one of them while receiving his trophy.
The judges praised its condition and family history, describing it as a perfect example of what the Festival represents: saving and cherishing a car that many others might simply have discarded.
Second place was awarded to Matt Swinn’s rare 1992 Toyota Previa.
Despite its excellent condition, the Toyota is not kept purely as a show vehicle. Matt still uses it to carry his band and their equipment around the country.
The Previa was regarded as a practical family appliance when new, and relatively few received the sort of care now lavished on Matt’s example.
His commitment to preserving its history even extends to the old sweet wrappers, receipts and other period items discovered beneath the seats, which he has framed rather than thrown away.
The overall Festival of the Unexceptional 2026 award went to Gordon McNeill and his 2001 Volkswagen Polo E.
It is not an immaculate, low-mileage museum piece. The Polo carries the marks of years of regular use, but its history and the relationship Gordon has with the car captured the spirit of the event.
Gordon has owned it for 20 years. It was his first car and remains the only car he has ever owned.
During that time, the base-specification Polo has covered 176,000 miles, travelled to Spain, completed laps of the Nürburgring and played a part in Gordon’s wedding.
It is still used as his daily car.
That uninterrupted history, rather than cosmetic perfection, made the humble Polo a fitting winner at an event where the story behind a car can matter every bit as much as the car itself.
The strength of this year’s Concours de l’Ordinaire left the judges with several more cars they felt deserved recognition.
Commendations went to Jack Duxbury’s 1991 Ford P100 TD, Marwin Jansen’s 2000 Kia Clarus Wagon, Rick Martens’ 1986 Citroën Axel, Maia Egan’s 1982 Fiat 127 and Emma Rowe’s 1994 Honda Civic Bali.
Richard Porter, the Top Gear and Grand Tour writer and co-host of the Smith and Sniff podcast, was involved in selecting the 2026 concours entries.
Speaking on stage, he pointed out that every submitted car had merit and that being chosen for the final 50 was already a considerable achievement.
Away from the main concours, the British Motor Museum supplied a selection of important British Leyland prototypes.
These included the first Maestro to leave the production line and the Austin LC10 prototype that helped shape the eventual production car.
A pre-production Austin Metro was also displayed in the Hagerty Drivers Club enclosure. It was one of 300 pre-production examples built in 1980 and had been selected for the Austin Rover stand at that year’s Motor Show.
The Telegraph also hosted a display of some of the UK’s rarest surviving family cars, including a five-door Fiat Strada, Nissan Prairie and Alfa Romeo Arna.
Live music and interviews continued throughout the day, with the Smith and Sniff team appearing on stage and presenting the prizes at the end of the event.
The scale of this year’s Festival showed just how much attitudes towards everyday cars have changed.
Vehicles once dismissed as disposable transport are now being restored, preserved and driven by enthusiasts who value their memories, familiarity and social history.
Many owners spend far more time and money on these cars than they could ever hope to recover, but financial value has never really been the point.
A 176,000-mile Volkswagen Polo winning one of the year’s most popular motoring events might once have seemed unlikely.
At the Festival of the Unexceptional, it makes perfect sense.
Stay updated with the latest barn finds, auction news, and classic car adventures in our 'News & Waffle' section. Dive into rare discoveries, behind-the-scenes stories, and expert insights into the world of classic cars. Whether you’re a seasoned enthusiast or simply intrigued by the tales behind these treasures, this is your hub for all things classic and captivating.
View All
This Barn Find Ferrari Dino was one of the most fascinating cars in Historics Auctioneers’ Summer Serenade sale, and it has now found a new owner. This dusty 1972 Ferrari 246GT Dino crossed the block after spending years laid up, eventually selling for £274,560. While that figure is well above most enthusiasts’ budgets, it demonstrates […]
There’s something rather satisfying about bringing home a car that’s quietly slipped out of everyday life. That’s exactly what happened yesterday when we collected this 1995 Ford Fiesta Si, a model that’s becoming an increasingly uncommon sight on British roads. Better still, this one comes with an appealing backstory. It has had ...
Some auction results leave everyone nodding in agreement. Others have enthusiasts asking whether they should have bought one years ago. This 1989 Toyota Supra A70 3.0 Turbo Manual certainly fell into the second category, attracting strong bidding at Anglia Car Auctions before selling for £13,392 including buyer’s premium. Offered without reserve, the increasingly sought-after Japanese […]
