Silverstone Classic – Masterpieces in Motion

When it comes to the Classic Silverstone event, there is always a sense of awe and expectation as you approach the home of the British Grand Prix. The three-day event is best described as a festival of motorsport, where you don’t necessarily need to be a petrol head to enjoy the day. However, the core attendees will no doubt be there for the live Motorsports action, as well as the allure of the hallowed circuit. Held on the end-of-summer August Bank Holiday weekend, it seems like a perfect date for the event and the weather proved to be near-perfect for the tens of thousands of attendees over the three day show.

Serving as a celebration of British motorsports, The Classic offers track action with genuine competitors, displays and demonstrations and it seemed like almost every inch of the inner diameter of the 3.66 miles track was chock-a-block with cars, amusements, activities, and provisions. There was even space for headlining act Rick Ashley who closed the proceedings on Sunday evening. We didn’t hang around to offer you a gig review, but we’ve been told he did a fine job.

What we did do is cover the ground for the full three days, spending time on the more automotive aspects of the event, while soaking up the atmosphere and taking note of the key events and anniversaries that were celebrated. Let’s dive straight in and get started.

To help set the mood and the scene, we started at the Wing on the International Paddock to build up some anticipation in preparation for the weekend. One of over 50 HGPCA Pre ’66 Grand Prix Cars being prepared for qualifying was sitting pretty in the tents opposite the paddock. This is John Clarks 1961 Cooper T56 who completed went on to complete all nine laps of his first race.

A massive draw of the weekend is the visceral and more often than not tactile action of the touring car races. A snapshot of the calm before the storm, this is Jeff Smiths’ highest placed Mini of the Weekend and Jo Polley’s car lounging around before qualification for the Adrian Flux Trophy for Transatlantic Pre ’66 Touring Cars competition.

It’s not just about classic cars, as these Mercedes-AMG GT4 cars demonstrated. At just 17, twin sisters Aliyyah and Yasmeen Koloc are well on their way to becoming professional race drivers, David Vrsecky stood in on this occasion for Yasmeen for the weekend.

The Paddocks become a home for many of the competitors over the weekend, many are familiar with the set-up and preparation needed to compete, and the dedication and teamwork that goes into each session is an indication of the passion for the event.

A last look at the Friday morning paddock walks around before the day really starts. After the qualifying, the following two days offers an opportunity to watch the same races at roughly the same times, so if you do happen to miss a particular race there’s an opportunity to watch the competitors race again. Luckily there are big screen everywhere, so it’s easy enough the keep on top of the races.

Some competitors take the weekend very seriously, which results in participants spending thousands of pounds solely on The Classic. With that in mind, we have to get the elephant in the room out of the way when it comes to discussing big money. Or rather the Ford Escort in the room. This Ford Escort RS, which Princess Diana had owned for three years in 1985, fetched £650,000 as it went under the hammer on Saturday. It is said to have been bought by a museum in South America.

While our flabber remains gasted, we calm down a little by visiting one of the surprises of the weekend. Last year Andrew Roberts curated a fascinating display of The Telegraphs UK’s Rarest Cars sponsored by Motoreasy, but rather than build a collection of ‘bread van’ Ferraris and Panthers Sixes, he focused on near-extinct mass-produced family cars that now evoke personal memories and emotions. This year, with an even stronger and more eclectic collection of cars, Andrew tirelessly and diligently brought in 50 vehicles ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s.

We at Car and Classic felt right at home here and it’s would have been perfectly possible to focus on this fine collection and reported on every one of these 50 cars. The owners had travelled from almost every corner of the country to attend the three days. Thanks to the tenacity and effort of Andrew, it simply would have been churlish to say no. However, the chance to display your car to over 100,000 visitors is not an opportunity to be sniffed at, especially as there was also a window of opportunity to parade the cars on the hallowed circuit.

Here we have Andrew’s Wolseley 6/99 Police car, piloted by Steph from I drive a classic. His example appears to have been plucked straight out of a British B movies from the 1960s. The 6/99s was best known as a police car on the silver screen, chiming in with Andrew’s knowledge of and enthusiasm for British film culture.

As we tear ourselves away from the delights of the rarest cars stand, we’ll go a bit more mainstream and have a look at what was happening in the Village area of the circuit. With a carefully planned variety of visitor attractions, including a funfair, refreshments and other facilities, families and long-suffering partners found plenty of things to keep them occupied if they fancied a break from the motorsports. One of the best-attended displays was the unique spectacle of all seven of Lewis Hamilton’s championship-winning Formula One cars displayed for the very first time.

There was plenty of other celebrity participation too, with the Foodie Fest celebs, Mike Brewer’s Car clinic, as well as Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop providing opportunities for the odd selfie or autograph. In honour of the icon’s 60th birthday, there was also a collection of James Bond automobiles on display, but it was too crowded and dark for photos, so we spent some time at the Silverstone Auction admiring the Land Rover from Spectre that was up for auction instead. It is one of seven built for the snow scenes and the only one to have taken on Bond in battle.

Stepping away from the centre showground, we found ourselves in the relative calm of the numerous car displays at The Classic. There were several anniversaries celebrated this weekend and one of the most significant was that of the Austin Seven. Celebrating a centenary, the car introduced motoring to millions of people. Celebrated at the recent Festival of Motorsport at Prescott hill, this 1937 Tourer took pride of place in front of the Alzheimers Research stand.

Another notable anniversary which is directly connected to Silverstone is the 40th anniversary of the legendary Group C sportscar era. Nick Wigley, CEO of The Classic promoter Goose Live Events. “Silverstone was where the first-ever Group C race was held so, once again, it’s the perfect place to be marking such an important milestone in motorsport history.” There was an impressive array of Group C cars at the International Paddock, including this blue and white Rothmans liveried Porsche 956 shared by Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell.

Another birthday worth mentioning is the 50th year of the BMW M Division, with the BMW Car Club GB displaying 50 of its greatest creations.

1962 marks the year of the first Lotus Elan, a car worthy of celebration thanks to its agile handling and road-holding.

Other anniversaries supported by the event were the numerous launches of several well-loved cars including the TVR brand, the Triumph Spitfire and Mercedes S Class.

Treating the Friday as something of a recce, mainly to familiarise ourselves with the vast layout, it soon becomes very clear that it can’t be treated as a single day event. As the sun sets on day one, we make mental notes on the best locations to watch the racing and decide that an early start is needed to capture Saturday’s race timetable.

On Saturday morning with a later than anticipated start due to your contributor’s inability to set an alarm, we join the Tony Dron Memorial Trophy for MRL Historic Touring Cars qualifying. A cracking start to a section of mouth-watering saloon car racers. Covering three decades of cars that would have graced the showrooms when new, the number of Ford products was a treat to watch, as they slugged it out on the circuit.

However, it was the Japanese who dominated the race. No less than three early 90’s Nissan Skyline GT-R R32s, commonly nicknamed ‘Godzilla’ was seen on the track. They may have been unfamiliar to some spectators, but these 600bhp tour de forces dominated the All Japan Touring Car Championship between 1990 and 1993. This is the green 1990 Middlehurst/Bailey winning car as well as the 1992 Simon Gerrad second-place vehicle.

Other delights included the appearance of John and James Young’s Volvo 242. Volvo didn’t seem to capitalise on the 2-Series credible success in motorsport when the car was current, but it proved to be a successful competitor in the European Touring Car Championship. Lessons must have been absorbed by the company as they went all out with the support of the later 850. Another appealing large three-box saloon is the Opel Commodore B GS/E of Peter Fisk. Both managed to finish the qualifying and finished among the 36 cars that completed the race.

Two 1980s Volkswagen graced the track for this race, Morris/Shephard’s VW Golf GTI was not an unusual sight back when current but the similarly handling VW Scirocco of Evans/Jackson was a rare treat to watch on the racetrack. Both finished within two seconds of each other.

There are usually 20-minute breaks in between races, allowing marshals to clean up any debris. The heats are rigorously kept on time thanks to the efficiency of the volunteer marshals, who as ever have always been the heart of scene. As we get our breath back, the MRL Pre-War Sportscars ‘BRDC 500’ offer a slightly slower pace but no less exhilarating performance. With many of the cars dating back nearly 100 years, the BRDC 500 witnessed more than 30 of the event’s most venerable racing machines. Here we have an Alfa Romeo 8c Monza driven by David Cooke, edging by the Aston Martin Team Car LM4 of Turner/Lupton. Sadly Mike Wrigley’s Bugatti T35B had mechanical issues and didn’t compete.

There was a genuine lunchtime treat after the BRDC 500 was won by a Frazer Nash TT Replica, with the Frank Williams memorial trophy for masters racing legends. Consisting of cars dating from 1966 to 1985, it covers a particularly furtive period for Formula one.

Winning both of the weekend races, Mike Centillion in his Williams FW07C with a lap time of 1.53.624 on the first day of racing. The FW07C found itself on 11 podium places in 1981, with Alan Jones winning two races in the same year.

Another crowd pleaser was the iconic livery of the Lotus 91 driven by Steve Brooks, which was loosely based on the Williams FW07 car. The hydro-pneumatic valve-controlled suspension used in the 91 is noteworthy since it was the forerunner to the computer active suspension design that would later become a defining characteristic.

As the last of the ear-shattering F1 cars drive by, preparations for Race 6, the Masters GT4 Classic Silverstone Challenge commence. This category has 16 “modern historic” cars lining up the grid to showcase potential future talent. We have Chris Murphy in the Aston Martin GT4 photographed at the corner of the Loop on the first lap of the race.

Like every single race of the weekend, passion and determination run high. With pinpoint accuracy and years of experience, drivers use every available spare inch of space to gain valuable seconds, but every so often, errors are flung up and the inevitable contact is made. Not ideal for the drivers but a thrill for the spectators. Craig Wilkins Toyota GR Supra GT4 nudges into Danny Henry’s McLaren 570S GT4. No harm done, other than a few bits of shattered plastic.

For the next event at 14:35, the competition spirit takes a break and we are treated to another display of F1 cars. This time it is the Ignition GP 90s F1 demonstration. An opportunity to relive the golden era of Formula One, allowing the cars to stretch their legs and despite the fact they were not competing for any honours, they were not hanging around.

Ignition GP was set up in 2021 with the simple aim of getting 1990s Grand Prix cars back on the track, focusing on cars from 1989 to 1997. Two of the half-a-dozen cars included Senna’s 5-time winning McLaren MP4/7 and Damon Hill’s 1992 Brabham BT60B.

The thrills and spills are coming thick and fast now, and the next trackside action comes in the form of HGPCA Pre’66 Grand Prix cars. Appealing to those whose point of reference is from the early 60s, these 1.5-litre ‘cigar tubes’ dominate the line-up and is a genuinely graceful experience to watch.

The winner of the race was the Cooper T53 driven by Will Nuthall. Like many other historic racers, Will is no stranger to driving classic sporting cars, with experience driving cars as diverse as the Bizzarrini P538, Ford GT40 and Jaguar E-Type, he comfortably won the event on Saturday with a 3-second lead.

We have the eventual winner Thomas/Lockie in their Shelby American Cobra Daytona lapping a Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 of Tucker/Kennelly. As one of the lengthier races of the event, it was broken up into two halves, with each 25-minute sprint allowing drivers to swap places. With many endurance races, the dynamics of the car play a huge role, the tactics are not always clear cut and on such a fast circuit, a battle with back-runners often loses seconds. The Cobra however was dominant and achieved the fastest run at an average of just under 92mph.

Another significant highlight of the weekend is the spectacle of the Group C racers. A demonstration of the cars at 17.00 honoured the 40 years of Silverstone’s first involvement with Group C cars. The opening round of the 6-hour event back n 1982 quickly rivalled Formula One and remains one of the most revered motorsport series of all time. We were treated to 8 cars on Saturday.

The sun is starting to lower as we reach the penultimate race of the day, as the Master’s Endurance Legends took to the track. Originally founded as a race series for Le Man’s prototype and GT’s from 1995 to 2010, the series has now allowed cars up to 2017. Like most of the cars seen at Silverstone, the races are split up into classes, mixing diesel-powered Peugeots hyper cars with one-off Formula One developments, as well as material with more familiar outlines.

The light is now starting to fade somewhat, yet the temperatures remain pleasant. The Yokohama Trophy for the master’s sports car legend offers a fitting finale for Saturday’s motor racing with the technical and visual variety of the mix of open-topped 2-litre prototypes with thunderous V8 powered coupes.

Winner Tom Bradshaw in his 1971 Chevron B19 is just one of 35 built. Powered by a Cosworth 1.8-litre engine, it proves that weight, grip and concentration bear more importance than outright power, as demonstrated by the beautiful but heavy Chevrolet Corvette of Hallford and Keen who was timed at 11 seconds behind the leader.

We’ll close the Saturday with another shoutout to the Marshalls, who oversee the recovery of the Ratcliff/Stevens 1958 Lister who ran out of luck before the car even completed a lap. Tired, but happy we head back to recharge and look forward to the final day of the Silverstone Classic.

With the core of the racing covered on Saturday, we returned the next day to The Classic and spend the morning in the paddock again. Starting with the McMurtry Spéirling which had been attracting attention all weekend. Based in the Cotswolds, McMurtry Automotive is a unique electric-powered all-carbon prototype. Claiming zero to 186mph in 9 seconds, the maker hopes to develop its own race series.

Paddock ‘hopping’ seem to become more creative with each passing year. Last year the Japanese Kei-vans seem to be the preferred mode of transport, however, there was a lovely selection of both 4-wheeled and 2-wheeled options for teams and competitors. Most people seemed happy with Monkey Bikes but Car and Classic will happily take this Ranger to travel in between the paddocks.

Car recovery is key to the smooth running of the event, with organisers using Hiab trucks to deal with the spills after the thrills. Cranes make the job a lot easier, especially when you’re dealing with multi-million pound F1 cars, but this 1935 Talbot does it with a little more style. It was not pressed into action.

We’ll take a quick look at the infield again and see what else we can spot amongst the cars clubs. A relatively young company, Evante are typical of the passion and ingenuity of the British grassroots car industry. With its styling Influenced by the original Lotus Elan, the Ford-powered fibreglass cars were produced in the 1980s and perhaps with a little luck and some investment, the brand could have evolved further.

The Viva/Magnum/Firenza performance variant from Vauxhall has a club known as the Droop Snoot Group, after the names given the front treatment of the cars. Potent in motorsports in its heyday, the club was formed in 1980 and must be given credit for preserving and keeping the model alive.

Another club funded in 1980, is the award-winning Panther Car Club. Best known for combining contemporary engineering with a luxurious theme that evokes the heyday of the 1930’s, their cars were genuinely considered as a rival to Rolls Royce in the ‘70s with Elton John and Oliver Reed being amongst their clientele.

An impressive array of cars line up a corner of the circuit as part of the Retrorun, which is a dedicated 3-day package experience at The Classic. It’s a road run for classic cars (pre-2003) or those of special interest and takes place as an integrated part of The Classic. 

The Mercedes-Benz Club is celebrating its 70th anniversary as the first official Mercedes club in the world. Hosting a wide variety of cars, covering all of those 70 years and older, this rather unassuming-looking E-class estate is one of 2,870 of special order E50 AMG models. Never an official import into the UK these V8-powered cars could easily top 170mph.

Silverstone means supercars for many and all of the 1980s bedroom poster cars were here in abundance. Another club that has been well established in the UK, the Ferrari Owners Club of Great Britain are very active and its chapters hold around 100 events a year.

We’ll wrap up this long but unmissable weekend with what is essentially the most spectacular race of the event. The Adrian Flux Trophy for transatlantic pre’66 touring cars is the finale of the Classic Silverstone race meets. Unofficially placed as a Britain versus America car race, where powerful Ford Mustangs fight for track spaces with agile Minis and Punchy Lotus Cortinas, the event is not exclusive to those two countries, as there are a handful of Italian and German cars racing too.

The 45 minutes race is a genuinely exciting experience to watch, with car contact left, right and centre. The animated Silverstone Classic commentary, which was second to none added to fury and adrenaline. Being so close to the track is a genuine privilege too, with the intoxicating raw noise and smells. After several nudges and spins, the order is eventually settled, with cars fighting personal battles. All of the American cars were placed in the THA class, all being Fords, with a closely related Mercury being the exception.

The next class is the THB class which covers the 2-litre category, represented by the BMW 1800 Ti of Harry Barton.

The next class is the far more fiercely contested THC Class with at least half a dozen cars, competing in the 1.6-litre category dominated by the Lotus Cortina.

The small car class, which can only mean the THD Class, is ruled by the Mini Cooper. Fighting door handle-to-door handle, the eight Minis that were unleashed on the track were like little terriers, cocking up their legs round every bend. Phil Bullen-Brown Morris Mini sandwiching a Mustang with Micheal Cullens Austin Mini.

And that’s it for another year. What a truly exciting weekend. Dehydrated, ears ringing, feet and back hurting and in need of a good night’s sleep, god only knows what the competitors, marshals and organisers felt like. Like every time we visit the Classic Silverstone, there is so much that is missed and that offers a valid argument to make it stretch into the Bank Holiday Monday. However, the weekend always finishes on a high and as a celebration of British motorsports, there is simply no other event like it.