It was a weekend of celebrations at this year’s Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show as over 72,738 enthusiasts gathered to share their passion for all things motoring. The visitors were treated to over 330 club stands spanning seven halls.
On the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club stand, we were celebrating too with an outstanding line-up. We had a rare early pre-HE XJ-S displayed alongside its racing cousin, built by TWR, that won the European Touring Car Championship. We had the first Jaguar, a 2 ½ litre SS Jaguar saloon and the last combustion engine Jaguar sports car – the F-TYPE ZP edition. We celebrated the motorsport prowess and anniversary of the launch of the MK1 with this year’s St Mary’s Trophy winner at Goodwood Revival, and we looked forward to the 30th anniversary of the XK8. To see the full lineup in detail, click here.
Show Director Lee Masters said, “What an amazing weekend! The atmosphere in the halls, the calibre of the displays, and the passion for classics was exceptional. It was fantastic to see so many of the younger generation in the show. As always, thanks go to all our sponsors, traders, clubs, and visitors for all their support.”
Elsewhere, the Hall of Fame saw four new names inducted, with the Ford Escort joining the Classic car category, following in the footsteps of last year’s E-type. Professor Peter Stevens (designer of the Jaguar XJR-15) was announced as the Industry Ambassador, the Midlands Automobile Club was named the Motoring Club, and Danny Hopkins was introduced as the Community Ambassador.
Jaguar Land Rover Classic had a display with some stunning cars on it for sale, including a rather tasty XKR and an X350 model. Interestingly, they were more Jaguar-based than Land Rover for this specific event. Tom Lenthall was showing off his stunning E-type build with many modifications and improvements and Twyford Moors had some XKs to die for on display as well.
Celebrating 20 years at the NEC, the Meguiar’s Club Showcase saw 14 breathtaking cars come under the expert judges’ scrutiny as every inch was inspected with white gloves. Amongst them was the stunning XJS of Darren Green that we featured heavily in Jaguar Enthusiast Magazine in 2024 and indeed was on the JEC stand last year.Awarding the highest mark ever given in the competition’s history, it was Stephen Hill’s 1970 Ford Cortina 1600 that received the prestigious title and the crystal trophy.
The Sporting Bears Motor Club raised £44,000 from its popular Dream Rides. The ‘Bears’ gave ten-mile passenger rides to visitors in exchange for a charitable donation. The charities benefiting from this year’s show include Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, Libby Mae’s Little Angels, Caudwell Children, and Jasmine’s Legacy of Dreams.
The Meet the Influencers Theatre featured a large number of social media content creators alongside TV favourites such as Richard Hammond, Tiff Needell and Mike Brewer, with lively panel discussions and interviews, including one featuring Jaguar design legend Ian Callum.
Sad news rippled through the motoring community during the event when it was learned that TV legend, Quentin Wilson had passed away, aged 68, after a short battle with lung cancer.
The big news story of the event was over in the Iconic Auctions hall when the XJC sold by Harry Metcalfe and built by our friends over at Tom Lenthall Jaguar, broke all records for the model when it went under the hammer for an eye-watering £157,500 with fees. You can read more about our analysis of that amazing moment here.
The next Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show will be held at Birmingham’s NEC from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 November 2026. Check the website www.necclassicmotorshow.com for the latest updates.
One Response
Thank you so much for this detailed coverage .Having moved to Scotland with family I really miss not being able to attend shows like these.