2025 Review of the year.

It has been a good year for Classic Yorkshire with subscriptions doubling and web viewers exceeding 40 000 views. Our survey shows that the stories we are writing are well received, though we probably need to start adding cars from the 90’s into the mix. Our most popular story of the year was the Jaguar XJS by Tony and the most popular web page is the events and destination guide. What started out as a lockdown project has turned into a substantial publication with reach well beyond the Yorkshire boundary.

The big trend this year has been the number of businesses offering resto mods, recreations and small batch unique sports cars. What is amazing about theses companies is the level of craftsmanship and technology that goes into them. I have been most impressed by MST who are producing some outstanding Escort based cars, though if you fancy something a bit rarer you can get a new 6R4. It seems that we are reaching a point where any car could be created or remanufactured provided that there are people prepared to pay the price.

Confidence has returned to the events area with increased attendances and new events such as Rallye Harewood which sold out in it’s first edition. For me the most spectacular event of the year was Yorkshire Elegance which brought world class collector cars to Yorkshire. The teams hard work and professionalism shows that a prestigious show like this can be a success in the north, though I think it has been very much under reported by the classic car media.

But it isn’t just the big shows, small events have thrived and they are important as a hobby which gets you out to meeting people with huge benefits for your mental health. We need to appreciate the people who organise and support events and facebook pages without pay or (often) appreciation.

Historic motorsport is thriving with Goodwood continuing to be the leader in the field though the Silverstone and Donnington events are excellent and good value for money. The rallying at Race Retro provided the best chance to see Group B cars and Rallye Harewood brought us nightime rallying reminding me of the glory days when I would spend the night in the Dalby forest.

My own classic car experience has been on the back burner as I have been renovating a house but I was determined to get my cars back up an running. I started the with my 1974 Mini Clubman rally car which I serviced and took to the Holme Moss 100. Next up my 1968 Lotus Elan which has not been running well. In the end I took it to Lotus specialist Chris Foulds (Huddersfied) who found a combination of problems which they put right and now it is running very sweetly. I am looking forward to getting out on the road next season sharing my experiences.

Like many of you I have a project I am working on. A Subaru Impreza which I plan to do as a Resto Mod. I don’t need it to go any faster but improvements to braking and handling are planned. If you have any experience of building an Impreza Resto Mod then I am looking for recommendations.

If you fancy writing an article about an event, your classic car ownership or restoration feel free to drop us a line, especially if you are into 90’s cars.

Finally, I would like to thank my fellow writer Tony Lofthouse. He produces excellent articles and balances my interest in historic motorsport with rare and everyday classics.

So here’s to another Classic Year. Thanks for all your support and I hope to meet see you on the classic scene next year.