I must confess that I have never been to the Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional, but I love the concept. I am surprised that more people don’t adopt the idea, perhaps within a bigger show. These cars were mundane, even in their day and today they stand out only because they have survived.
These boring cars raise many questions. Why would anyone keep these boring cars over the long term, why would anyone want one today when there are so many interesting classics available? But it’s their rarity that makes them such fun to own.
Hagerty’s Festival of the Unexceptional is the only motoring event to celebrate base model, attracting owners and fans of unexceptional cars from all over the world. Twelve years after the first event, the 2026 festival returns to Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire on Saturday 25th July, where thousands of enthusiasts are expected to marvel in the magnificence of the mundane.
Festival of the Unexceptional gathers the mass-produced cars of the recent past that were once a common sight, but deemed by many to be not worth saving. That’s what makes FOTU cars so special, owners spending thousands of pounds to keep cars most wouldn’t give a second glance to, on the road.
Maintaining a Talbot Solara, with limited spares, no specialist garages and a constant fight against corrosion, is more challenging than preserving any Ferrari. The Ferrari has parts available at the click of a mouse, and most counties have at least one specialist, whereas the Talbot owner struggles to find anyone who cares as much as they do. To be truly Unexceptional you have to have a passion that goes way beyond the expected.
The very first Festival of the Unexceptional, back in 2014, was a gathering of just a few hundred people admiring a small selection of cars. Now, twelve years later, FOTU attracts thousands of enthusiasts from all over the world, many being younger owners who choose to drive a FOTU car as a daily driver.
This new generation of owner tends to have experienced this era of car from their parents or grandparents and now chooses to drive one themselves for sentimental reasons. Others drive unexceptionally for the individuality a FOTU-era car offers in a sea of bland modern hatchbacks. Whatever the reason, FOTU brings these owners together, crowding the Grimsthorpe lawns year after year with a camaraderie other motoring communities can only dream of.
If you are looking for events to attend in 2026 don’t forget our event listing which you can see on the link below. It lists many classic car events in Yorkshire, car destinations and key motorsport events.
Classic car events and destinations 2026: – Classic Yorkshire
Hagerty created a film at the 2025 event to show the scale and engagement FOTU now enjoys, proving how this unexceptional festival has become the exceptional event of the motoring year and you can watch the film here.
The 2026 Festival of the Unexceptional opens 25th July at 7.30am. More details on special FOTU attractions and features will be announced soon.
For tickets and further information click here
I cannot be quite so effusive about FOTU having been there two times. The first time was marked by a very long queue down the drive way – which is the result of poor event management. Cars should be going down the drive two abreast, and ticket inspection should be done by many more operatives. At some events the ticket inspection is done by people who will walk the queue and then place a coloured sticker on the car to mark that it has been checked.
Cars that are being exhibited and cars that are not should be separated sooner.
BOTH events suffered from totally inadequate toilet facilities and food provision. Have you tried to get a tasty vegetarian or vegan snack? And I don’t mean a ‘carrot burger’ or an onion bhaji. Those things are undoubtedly a cost to the organisers, but look what Hagerty charges for admission!
Hagerty tries to give the impression that it is ‘supporting the classic car world’, but the reverse is true, the classic car world is supporting Hagerty and they are making a fine business out of events like FOTU.
But my biggest beef with FOTU is the word ‘UNEXCEPTIONAL’. Those vehicles that are drawn into the inner circle are quite definitely EXCEPTIONAL. They might well be a very rare survivor of their kind, but mostly it is because they have been restored well beyond their economic value. We expect shiny cars in a Concours parade, but at FOTU they should almost be told to park down at the entrance gate to Grimsthorpe Castle, rather than by the Castle.
The true UNEXCEPTIONAL cars are not being displayed with mirrors underneath them, and being wiped with cloths every ten minutes to remove pollen or mizzle, they are parked in the exhibitors’ car park. Some of these look as though the MOT test is a very distant memory, but they are TRUE to their kind, good and honest representatives of an often mass production motor. That’s where the judges should be going with their placques.
Let the shiny stuff park by the Castle, but charge them extra for the privilege.
I’m not coming to Grimsthorpe this year at the ticket price of £25. I am a photographer and don’t have anything to exhibit, so twenty-five of my Great British Pounds is an extravagance; lots of good charity shows only charge around a tenner, some are even on donation, and all the money goes to A Good Cause.
Thanks Simon for your comments. This just the kind of information that our readers need so that they can evaluate whether to attend. We can’t make these judgements if we haven’t been and like you, we are careful about events that we have to pay to attend. If you ever fancy writing a review of an event then feel free to drop us a line.