Festival of Motoring at Stoneleigh Park

Festival of Motoring at Stoneleigh Park - 25^th and 26^th August

The Festival of Motoring last weekend seemed to be a great success.  Even those that were not ardent classic car enthusiasts must have enjoyed the spectacular range of cars that were displayed by their proud owners. The clubs each had their designated area where you could browse at your leisure; of particular interest to myself were the Triumph Spitfires, as I owned a Mark III many years ago, and I was surprised at how many there were and looking so well preserved, although sadly most were the later Mark IV.  A lot of cars were from the 60s and 70s so the time flew by as we enjoyed reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ and the cars that were around when we were young.
Mid-morning, many of the cars set off for a historic run around Warwickshire, first passing through the arena where a very knowledgeable commentator provided an informative background to many of the makes and models.

As well as cars there were other vehicles and a great collection of motorcycles, as well as regular shows in the Wall of Death, and in the arena amazing displays by the Bolddog motorbike display team with some very hairy stunts.

Hall 2 housed concept vehicles and the future of transport and something less static was the Range Rover 4x4 experience where people could feel what it is like to ride in a 4x4 over an obstacle course that literally lifted the wheels off the ground.

The Sporting Bears Dream Rides provided rides in their members’ classic cars for a modest donation to charity.

For those that wanted a break from the automobilia there was also a craft fair and stalls selling non-motoring items in hall 1 and fairground rides while the Jaguar Band provided the musical distraction.

By mid-afternoon the cars were back in their club areas to welcome more inspections and praise. It is clear how much work and care has gone into presenting these motor cars and bikes and I was pleased that the rain kept away so that their efforts were not spoiled.

Just after 3:30 on the Sunday, a different type of Spitfire provided a fly past, this one being a Mk 2, and one of the few remaining from WWII. It circled several times before heading back, giving everyone the chance to see this marvellous sight, which I always appreciate.

Thanks to the Coventry Transport Museum for putting it on; well worth visiting it again next time it's on.

www.festival-of-motoring,co.uk