Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional 2026: Eight cars that catch the eye from this year’s Concours de l’Ordinaire entrants
50 unexceptional cars will take part in the famous Concours de l’Ordinaire
Early preview of Concours stars includes 1990 Trabant and 1992 Toyota Previa
FOTU provides a full day of entertainment and fun for the whole family
The 2026 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional takes place on Saturday 25th July at the spectacular Grimsthorpe Castle estate in Lincolnshire. Now in its 12th year, this unique motoring event celebrates unexceptional cars that once dominated motorways and supermarket car parks, loved by families across the country for their affordability and practical style.
The highlight of the Festival is always the Concours de l’Ordinaire, where fifty of the finest unexceptional cars are displayed on the lawns of Grimsthorpe Castle, selected from hundreds of entrants, ready to be inspected by an esteemed panel of judges.
Of these fifty cars Hagerty has picked out a small selection that really jumped out. There’s no bias here – each and every vehicle will get its time to shine on the lawn in front of Grimsthorpe Castle and will be judged on its merit. Consider this an aperitif of what you’ll see on July 25th, if you will.
“Selecting fifty finalists from the long list of entries has always been a tough job,” says Mark Roper, Managing Director of Hagerty UK. “In reality every car submitted is worthy, so we spend hours determining the correct specification, looking for unrestored examples and seeking out those with a great back story before awarding the coveted entry. I hope you enjoy this preview of the great cars you can see at the 2026 Festival of the Unexceptional and look forward to seeing you there.”
2000 Escort Mk6 van - In some ways, commercial vehicles like this Escort van could be the most unexceptional vehicles of all. They’re bought as cheaply as possible, maintained only as long as they’re needed, and given their drivers aren’t always their owners, mechanical sympathy isn’t always of the first priority. Vans also tend to be quite low spec, which is something we can definitely get on board with. With all that in mind, it is great is it to see a clean Mk6 Escort van like this one.
2000 Kia Clarus Wagon - In the text submitted in the Concours entry form for this Kia Clarus Wagon, the owner states that they’re almost completely forgotten, with just three estates and twelve saloons left in the Netherlands, where it’ll be making the journey from this year. Never mind “forgotten”, we didn’t realise they did an estate version of the Clarus in the first place. The other cars on the Concours lawn will have to try hard to match the Kia’s level of anonymity.
1990 Trabant 1.1 - Trabants were never a common sight in the UK but since the Iron Curtain creaked open in 1991, the little East German cars from Zwickau (whose factory was bought by VW in 1990 and today produces ID3s and the bodies for the Lamborghini Urus, among other things) have attracted a cult following. They are by all kinds of standards not good cars, but they’re also very charming. The one you’ll see at this year’s FOTU is quite a late example, its 1.1-litre four-stroke VW Polo-sourced engine marking it out as a car from the final eleven months of production
1999 Ford Fiesta Finesse – This wonderful Fiesta has somehow covered only 4000 miles in its 27 years. Given the enormous popularity of Fiestas over the years, this Finesse is a prime example of one of those cars that used to be on every street corner and has since long been scrapped and turned into refrigerators. The owner of this car is a serial Fiesta fan, so this one will surely live on in good hands.
1979 Renault 14 - In the submission for this pear-shaped Renault, its owner starts off strong by FOTU entry standards: “Often regarded as the worst Renault ever produced…” You can sense it’s said with affection, not least because a Renault 14 was the owner’s first car, and this one even incorporates a few of the original parts taken off that first 14 that was scrapped more than three decades ago.
1992 Toyota Previa - The Renault Espace has been a common sight at past FOTUs, but it shouldn’t hog all the MPV limelight. The gloriously egg-shaped first-generation Previa was launched in 1990, and we’d argue is unfairly left out of discussions about the best Japanese cars from that era. In GL trim this one is also pleasingly low-spec, but with only 26,000 miles on the clock it’s also a rare survivor.
1996 Seat Ibiza 1.9D - Remember when Seats were fun? Well, a naturally-aspirated diesel Ibiza might not be the best advertisement for that, but this simple little Giugiaro-styled supermini in bright red paintwork still appeals. Our FOTU example has covered only 46,000 miles, surely escaping the rougher treatment some of these cars (especially diesels) received in period.
1973 Mazda 1300 Estate - A recurring theme in previous Concours de l’Ordinaire lineups has been the appearance of an exceptionally rare Japanese car from the 70s or 80s.This Mazda 1300 Estate fits squarely into that category. Badged Familia in its home market, a line that evolved into the 323 you may be more familiar with and subsequently led to today’s Mazda3, it’s a rare sight in the UK as it is, but the Estate must be almost extinct globally.
These are a small example of the fifty wonderfully unexceptional finalists that will be joined at Grimsthorpe Castle by thousands of other FOTU cars. Gates will open on 25th July at 7.30am for what promises to be an exceptional family day out.
