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There isn't a car show quite like this in America. Hagerty's Festival of the Unexceptional is gearing up for another edition in a few weeks with a good chance of unexceptional weather for the British Isles—just the kind under which we'd expect to see a sea of Austin Allegros, Vauxhall Cavaliers, and hundreds of other vehicles that have improbably survived the past few decades with hardly a scratch. These were the cars your elderly neighbor might have had in the 1980s, and the kind 99% of which had been turned into LG refrigerators long ago.
This uniquely British car show was launched not that long ago, in 2014, but has gathered massive momentum in recent years. Celebrating the ordinary cars of the 1960s through the 1990s, the annual event plays host to hundreds of cars that have become scarce over the years just due to being very utilitarian transports.
A special feature within the event is Concours de l’Ordinaire, open to just 50 cars, judged by a panel of automotive experts. This is where attention to detail and originality will matter, which means having the correct tool set for an MG Metro.
"Festival of the Unexceptional is an event like no other, being the only concours event for cars many don't give a second look," said Mark Roper, Managing Director of Hagerty International. "At Hagerty we applaud this, we respect their level of commitment, and we enjoy seeing hundreds of FOTU-worthy cars amass at Grimsthorpe Castle every year."
If there was a US edition of this event, we'd probably see vehicles as diverse (and in some cases difficult to find) as the Daewoo Leganza, Ford Topaz, Renault Encore, Chevy Chevette, Daihatsu Charade, Mercury Monarch, Eagle Medallion, Geo Spectrum, Audi Fox, and others we haven't seen in years or decades, as they had all been used up and recycled.
Yes, we've certainly heard of Concours d'Lemons and have attended quite a few editions of the event. But the Festival of the Unexceptional has a slightly different focus, celebrating cars that were generally plentiful, rather than mechanically challenged rarities that car buyers generally tried to avoid. Of course, there could be quite a bit of overlap. And we also have to account for the fact that these are primarily British-market cars, so Geo Spectrums will not be represented at Grimsthorpe Castle.
But some version of the Omnirizon certainly will be.
If such an event were to be held stateside, it's quite likely it would need to be several regional events like Radwood, which is now also owned by Hagerty.
But Radwood has a different focus once again, welcoming cars from a certain era, often quite rare and spectacular ones. A Festival of the Unexceptional in the US would have to have a wider chronological range.
What vintage vehicles would you like to see at such an event stateside? Let us know in the comments below.
Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.
