Festival of the Unexceptional to celebrate 10 years of mundane cars

Admirers of forgettable and unloved classic cars can now book their tickets for this year’s Festival of the Unexceptional.

For 2024, the show will remains at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire, with organisers Hagerty promising the best gathering of ‘ordinary’ old cars yet.

Taking place on Saturday 27 July, this year’s Festival of the Unexceptional will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first event being held.

A celebration of mediocrity

Over the past decade, the Festival of the Unexceptional has gone from being a niche event to a major attraction for automotive enthusiasts. 

Featuring everyday classic cars from the 1970s through to the 1990s, the show treats everyday models with a reverence usually reserved for high-end classics or supercars. 

The crowning glory of the Festival of the Unexceptional is the Concours De L’Ordinaire, which sees 50 average cars battling out to impress as the perfect example of mediocrity. 

Owners of unexceptional cars made between 1969 and 1999 can submit entries for the Concours De L’Ordinaire now.

Picking the people’s champion

Tickets for the 2024 Festival of the Unexceptional can be purchased now, at a price of £35 per car. Hagerty points out this means the equivalent of paying £7 per person if five people travel together.

For 2024, the show gates will open earlier and close later, at 7:30am and 7:30pm respectively, with the promise of special surprises for those who arrive early.

Hagerty has doubled the number of food and drink vendors onsite for this year’s event, while there is also live music and a chance to win in the Classic Car Giveaway.

Alongside the main Concours De L’Ordinaire competition, this year will see a People’s Choice award up for grabs. Showgoers will be able to inspect the cars on display before voting for their own, most unexceptional favourite.

Retro repmobiles

Pleasingly, the popular Retro Repmobile category will also return for 2024. This champions the modern classics that once dominated the Little Chef car park, such as the Vauxhall Cavalier, Ford Sierra and Peugeot 405.

Mark Roper, managing director of Hagerty International, said: “The 2024 Festival of the Unexceptional will be the best show to be presented in its 10-year history. 

“We will soon announce some very special guests and activations to further enhance the greatest display of unexceptional cars in the world, making this a unique event not to miss.”

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