Festival of the Unexceptional is a mass meeting of mediocre motors – do you remember any of these unremarkable cars?

July 31, 2023

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The Festival of the Unexceptional is the antithesis of what you think of when someone tells you they’re going to a car meet.

Rather than congregating at a McDonalds car park, this one takes place at a castle in Lincolnshire that dates back to the 13th century.

And the vehicles aren’t souped-up boy racer favourites with loud exhausts and more wings than a Heathrow runway. Instead, they are mundane – often long forgotten – models from yesteryear that were once a mainstay of Britain’s roads but are survived in tiny numbers today by enthusiast owners.

The event, hosted by insurer Hagerty, is specifically for everyday family cars from 1968 to 1998 – a generation now fondly referred to as the ‘Unexceptional Era’.

Feast your eyes on some of the 1,200 unremarkable motors that descended on the grounds of Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire at the weekend, including the overall show winner – a 32-year-old Daihatsu!

The weekend saw the return of one of the summer's biggest car events for petrolheads. While most motor shows have glitz and glamour, Festival of the Unexceptional is a celebration of all things mundane with four wheels

The weekend saw the return of one of the summer’s biggest car events for petrolheads. While most motor shows have glitz and glamour, Festival of the Unexceptional is a celebration of all things mundane with four wheels

The annual event is now in its ninth year. Saturday's celebrations were a sell-out event at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire. Pictured: the owner of this wonderfully beige 1988 Rover 213

The annual event is now in its ninth year. Saturday’s celebrations were a sell-out event at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire. Pictured: the owner of this wonderfully beige 1988 Rover 213

The sell-out event saw 3,000 guests attend Saturday’s gathering of unexciting motors for the ninth inaugural Festival of the Unexceptional.

Headlining the event each year is the Concours – a pre-selected entry of 50 of the best motors that go head-to-head for the overall crown as champion.

This year’s competition saw a variety of staggeringly well-maintained unlikely classics, including a 5,000-mile Vauxhall Cavalier and the only surviving Yugo Sana in the UK.

FOTU is a motor show dedicated to owners of long-forgotten cars that were once common sights on Britain's roads but are now mostly extinct, or close to being. Cars that star here include this green 1992 VW Polo

FOTU is a motor show dedicated to owners of long-forgotten cars that were once common sights on Britain’s roads but are now mostly extinct, or close to being. Cars that star here include this green 1992 VW Polo

The Festival of the Unexceptional is likely to be the only motoring event you attend where crowds swoon over a G-reg Vauxhall Nova

The celebration attracts an eclectic mix of motor vehicles. In this case, a 2005 diesel Volvo S80 parked alongside a 1977 Ford Cortina pick-up

The event gives enthusiasts the chance to meet other petrolheads who have spent thousands keeping unremarkable cars on the road. Pictured: One of the last Rover Maestros parked alongside a 1985 Volvo 240

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Hugo Naaijkens from the Netherlands took third place in the Concours with his 1993 Subaru Justy.

Hugo, an avid Subaru WRC fan, only recently passed his driving test but has already vowed never to sell his beloved car.

Sion Hudson and his 1983 Austin Metro took second place.

Sion has spent two years finding the original parts needed to return the car to its showroom specification after he discovered the previous owner had fitted some upgrades.

Work included removing the radio, passenger door mirror and even the indicator side repeaters to give a showroom standard look.

The show saw 1,200 cars and 3,000 people descend on the Lincolnshire countryside in a whole range of different vehicles, past and present

This 1984 Suzuki Alto was among the 50 cars in the concours competition, which was judged on the lawns in front of Grimsthorpe Castle, which dates back to the 13th century

A 1997 Citroen AX makes its way through the procession of parked-up mediocre cars

Owners who didn't qualify for the top 50 concours event still proudly showed off their motors, including a Rover 75, a 1984 BMW 316 and a trio of Vauxhalls - a Tigra (silver), Nova (maroon) and Cavalier (red)

Owners who didn’t qualify for the top 50 concours event still proudly showed off their motors, including a Rover 75, a 1984 BMW 316 and a trio of Vauxhalls – a Tigra (silver), Nova (maroon) and Cavalier (red)

But it was Stephen Pike – who drove his four-wheeled entry 900 miles from Sweden to display his car – who won the gong on Saturday.

His beloved 1991 Daihatsu Applause received an ovation of its own as the owner was handed the Concours d’Ordinaire trophy.

The four-door saloon had only just completed an extensive renovation the day before he undertook the arduous trek through Europe and across the Channel to attend the Lincolnshire event.

FOTU isn't just for Britons - it's a European affair. Hugo Naaijkens from the Netherlands took third place in the Concours with his 1993 Subaru Justy

FOTU isn’t just for Britons – it’s a European affair. Hugo Naaijkens from the Netherlands took third place in the Concours with his 1993 Subaru Justy

Sion Hudson and his 1983 Austin Metro took second place. Sion has spent two years finding the original parts needed to return the car to its showroom specification after he discovered the previous owner had fitted some upgrades