Battle of the blands

from Auto Channel — Issue 59 July 2023

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FIFTY CARS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO TAKE PART IN THE ANNUAL CONCOURS DE L’ORDINAIRE (FRENCH FOR FESTIVAL OF THE UNEXCEPTIONAL), THE ONLY CONCOURS TO CELEBRATE THE BRILLIANCE OF BASIC

Since 2014, the Festival of the Unexceptional (FOTU) has earned its place in the automotive calendar as an attainable concours event offering a mix of rare cars and a prestigious location in an informal and friendly approach. Showcasing muchmaligned and long-forgotten ‘ordinary’ classic cars and commercial vehicles of the late 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, Festival of the Unexceptional remains the only must-visit car show that celebrates the everyday cars we all know and love, even if they are little… basic.

The star attraction at FOTU is its Concours de l’Ordinaire. Set in the main courtyard at Grimsthorpe Castle, the Concours lawn sees 50 rare and prized everyday classic cars compete to be crowned the best of the best, judged by a highly experienced panel of motoring experts.

Highlights this year include an extremely rare Yugo Sana which has survived since 1990, a once common, now less so early Vauxhall Corsa LS, a FOTU favourite Austin Princess from 1976, and a wonderful Ford Cortina Carousel from 1980.

Showgoers can also enjoy hundreds of FOTUera classics on display in the parking area directly in front of the Concours lawn, an area to seek out the hidden gems, or the car your mum or dad used to take you in to school.

As if that wasn’t enough, 2023 sees the first ever Hagerty Battle of the Blands, a competition for FOTU-worthy car clubs.

A representative from five selected car clubs will take to the main stage in an effort to convince showgoers that their beloved car is simply the best when it comes to mundane motoring. The twominute pitches will be under the scrutiny of Hagerty FOTU compere Charlotte Vowden, who has the job of ensuring the speeches are more exciting than the cars.

Mark Roper, managing director of Hagerty International, said, “Festival of the Unexceptional

Automotive workshops

Parts importers and distributors

Transmission specialists

Automotive recyclers

Towing operators

Panel beaters and painters

Crash repairers

Tyre dealers

Suspension and underbody repairers

Steering specialists

Towing operators

Auto-electrical repairers

New- and used-car dealers

Air conditioning repairers

Heavy machinery dealers

Trucking and transport is an event like no other, being the only concours event for cars many don’t give a second look. 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.”