THE 2017 HAGERTY FESTIVAL OF THE UNEXCEPTIONAL HAS ALL THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS FOR A PERFECT DAY OF NOSTALGIA

BATTENBURG CAKE AND BELL-BOTTOM TROUSERS – THE 2017 HAGERTY FESTIVAL OF THE UNEXCEPTIONAL HAS ALL THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS FOR A PERFECT DAY OF NOSTALGIA

On Saturday 22 July, classic car insurance specialists – Hagerty – will be hosting the ultimate nostalgia trip as it gathers over 50 forgotten and uncelebrated vehicles together for a light-hearted Concours de l’Ordináire, joined by more than 300 other ‘unexceptional’ classic cars and vans, plus period picnics and fashions, within the scenic grounds of Stowe House, Buckingham, for the fourth edition Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional

All 50 ‘official’ participating concours unexceptional vehicles have been painstakingly selected from a record number of entries, with a handful of other suitable vehicles being hand-picked on the day from the visitor’s car park and invited to join the main concours participants on the display lawn

Following the success of the inaugural Hagerty Feast of the Unexceptional last year, participants will once again be encouraged to pack a period picnic, reflecting the era of their car, as well as fashions of the time to match., so expect plenty of flares and French Fancy fondants
As in previous years, entry into the 2017 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional at Stowe House will remain free of charge, with free House access also available to pre-registered Festival visitors
Cheese and pineapple on sticks, fish paste sandwiches, prawn cocktail, hard boiled eggs and salad cream, Battenberg cake, Curly Wurly bars and bottles of Tizer and Babycham. All the ingredients for the perfect 1970s picnic, and a fun-filled free day out in the old family saloon car at the annual Festival of the Unexceptional, Concours de l’Ordináire, being staged by classic vehicle insurance specialist’s Hagerty in the palatial surroundings of Stowe House on Saturday 22 July.

The typical British ‘Feast of the Unexceptional’ picnics we all remember from our childhood will accompany some period fashions of the era too, all transported in the ‘unexceptional’ saloons and estate cars we grew up with from the late 1960s to late 1980s, all set to appear at the 2017 edition of the Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional.

Cries of “I’ve not seen one of those for years”, “My Dad had one of those” and ‘I’d forgotten just how popular beige used to be” will be heard over the calm, relaxed and fun atmosphere on the Festival of the Unexceptional concours lawn at Stowe House in Buckinghamshire.

A nostalgic array of the ordinary and uncelebrated cars that we all remember from our youth will be presented on the immaculate lawn at Stowe House, with more than 50 truly exceptional unexceptional cars from the late 1960s to late 1980s, all carefully hand-picked for Hagerty’s 2017 Concours de l’Ordináire, with many of their proud owners also preparing a very-British picnic to reflect the age of their car, as well as possibly even dressing on the fashions of the day to match their vehicle.

These will be joined by a handful of other rarely-seen vehicles, selected from the visitors parking area surrounding the main ‘unexceptional’ lawn, plus more vehicles being displayed by a few car manufacturers, taken from their own (often unseen) heritage collections for a special ‘Invitation’ class. Forward parking for the other 250+ classic cars expected to arrive is free, although pre-registration is required to guarantee a space at: https://carfestivalbooking.com/. Modern-era cars are of course also very welcome and will be parked-up within walking distance of the Festival

Visitors to the free-to-attend 2017 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional will be able to rejoice in being reacquainted with the cars of their past that used be commonplace, but have now all but disappeared. Supporting this light-hearted nostalgia trip will be a cast of long-forgotten and often maligned cars, ranging from Austin Maxis and Allegros, Hillman Avengers, a Morris Marina, a quartet of 1970s Ford family saloons, plus Vauxhalls, Datsuns, Triumphs, Fiats, Rovers, Citroens, DAFs, Renaults, and even an as-new Honda C50 motorcycle!

Judging these once-everywhere, but now-rare vehicles, as well as the period picnics and fashions, will be an expert panel of judges, made up of classic car historians, journalists and ‘gourmets’, including the popular car enthusiast and presenter of TV’s The Gadget Show, Jon Bentley. As well as admiring the cars, and hearing the fascinating stories behind each vehicle, the judges will also be assessing the owner’s fashions, and possibly sampling their picnic fayre too, if its looks edible, and all done in a relaxed and light-hearted way.

The spectacular surroundings of Stowe House, Buckingham, two miles south of the Silverstone motor circuit) have been chosen as a marked contrast to the suitably mundane but interesting vehicles that will be participating in this year’s Festival, with the splendor of its Capability Brown gardens at this former home of the Duke of Buckingham. Stowe House will be open and free of charge to Festival visitors (usual cost £6.50 per person). To gain free House entry House Festival-goers must pre-registering.at https://carfestivalbooking.com/.

A short and nostalgic preview video for this year’s Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional can be seen and shared at https://www.hagertyinsurance.co.uk/articles-and-resources/events/festival-of-the-unexceptional