The fifth and final event of the Holme Moss 100 took place last weekend and it was a fitting finale. Planned as a series of five events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first Holme Moss hill climb it attracts an eclectic group of participants and their cars.

I discovered the event on facebook and have attended for the last 3 years. The format is simple. Turn up at the village of Holme, park in the field at the rear of the pub and whenever you feel like it you drive up the hill to the car park at the top. A donation to the Air Ambulance gets you a certificate and a warm fuzzy feeling.

This year I selected my old Mazda MX5 for the trip and set off in beautiful sunshine. But as we approached Holme we entered a low flying cloud which didn’t lift for the next few hours. Whilst this didn’t dampen the spirits it did affect the quality of the photography.

I arrived at a very civilised 10.30 and it was already busy. As usual the cars were diverse. Where else would you find a Willis Jeep alongside an Aston Martin Le Mans car.

This event has captured the imagination of the public but just as it has become established it has reached the end of the line or has it……………………..

By Classic Yorkshire contributor Tony Lofthouse

Hats off to the Dutch on the launch of an amazing retro-style convertible with an electric heart!

The Carice TC2 is a handcrafted and compact two-seater full of sleek lines and nostalgic charm.

It’s made in the Netherlands by EV car specialists Carice and tips the scales at just 630kg. It’s lightweight frame conceals a rear-mounted 53bhp motor and claims a driving range of 300km.

Richard Holleman, co-founder of Carice explains the idea behind the car. He says: “We think EV buyers want something different. Almost everyone likes the look of cars from the 1950s and 60 and we’ve combined that with an electric platform.”

In close up, its bug-eyed headlights and low bonnet line is a reminder of bygone sports cars like the Porsche 356 or 550 Spyder.

In a nod to the mid-century models of the time, the TC2’s interior oozes style from its soft leather upholstery to its brushed stainless steel dashboard.

The car is being built to order and, unfortunately, the first production run is sold out. Orders are being taken for another batch.

It you can get your hands on one, expect to pay from 45,000 Euros.

For more information on the TC2 visit www.caricecars.com

When you observe the Classic Car hobby for a number of decades, you begin to see some interesting patterns. As each generation of enthusiasts passes, so their cars decline in value and a new, more recent era rises. The fastest growing area of interest is now the 80’s and 90’s cars and you can expect rising values to follow.

Hagerty’s 2024 RADwood UK takes place on Saturday 7th September at the Historic Dockyard Chatham and is the only event to celebrate eighties and nineties automotive culture. But what is RADwood, and where did it all begin?

RADwood is the ultimate celebration of the cars and culture of the 1980s and 1990s – a motorshow where power suits are as important as horsepower, where hi-tops and hot hatches go hand-in-hand, and where BMWs and BMXs battle for attention.

It’s the brainchild of Californians Art Cervantes and Warren Madsen – two car guys who spotted a niche that just wasn’t being catered for.

“A few friends and I, we realised that there was a big gap in automotive culture,” explains Cervantes. “There was a lot of interest in what I call metal bumper classics – pre 1975 and older cars. Then there’s also the modern supercar world, which of course, always has a place, but nothing in between.”

“We were not only super interested in 80s and 90s cars ourselves, because they were relatively attainable, they were also the most relevant to us from an era standpoint. They were the cars that we lusted after when we were in high school and when we became driving age. I had a 993 and among us we had E36 M3s, 944 Porsches and we realised there was no place to go and drive these as a group, so we decided to put on something ourselves,” he adds.

Cervantes and Madsen used their podcast – Driving While Awesome – to float the idea. The response was tremendous, and the duo decided to host an event.

“We wanted to create an event that celebrates the era like the Goodwood Revival, and we were thinking about names and, as you can tell, we got the word “RAD” and kind of portmanteau-ed it with “wood” to get RADwood, inspired by Goodwood.”

Right from the outset RADwood, like the Revival was to be about “celebrating all things 80s and 90s, not just the cars, but period- correct clothing, music, and entertainment.”

In June 2017 at a marina in south San Francisco the first RADwood took place with 150 cars and 400 people. In December Cervantes and Madsen put on an event in Orange County, south of Los Angeles where 400 cars and 2,000 people turned up driving and dressing appropriately.

RADwood rapidly expanded across the USA and in 2019 it crossed the Atlantic with the first ever UK event being held, appropriately, at Goodwood. In 2022 RADwood came under the Hagerty umbrella, which has allowed to Cervantes and Madsen to focus on developing the brand, and “creating better experiences” for RADwood fans.

“Our main demographic is around 45, but it’s an interesting bell curve that’s flatter than you think,’ says Cervantes. “You have a huge chunk of people that are in their 20s. Pop culture in general is really into retro stuff right now – 90s is super popular, 80s is still popular. It’s starting to go more into 90s fashion, the hairstyles and all of this is coming into the mainstream now.”

That’s certainly true of RADwood in the UK, where the opportunity to dress up and drive retro style and enjoy the arcade games and music of the era has proved popular across a wide spectrum of enthusiasts.

Tickets for RADwood UK, taking place at Chatham Historic Dockyard in Kent on 7^th September, are available to buy now, starting at just £15. Entry to the Show and Shine is priced at £35. For more information, click here.

The Holme Moss hillclimb is a terrific, informal event raising funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. If you have always intended to go, but not quite got around to it then this is your last chance. However I hope that the event will prove so popular that the organisers re consider and keep it as an annual event. There is nothing quirkier than this collection of cars.

This event celebrating a historic hill climb will take place on Saturday, August 10.The Holme Moss Centenary Commemoration Event will be hosted at The Fleece, in Holme, between 10am and 4pm.

It is the last of five events taking place this year to commemorate Raymond Mays’ setting of the hill climb record at Holme Moss in 1924.

Classic, interesting and prestige models will be tackling the hill climb.

Also on offer at the event will be live music from The Bluebirds, access to a limited-edition commemorative programme, including certificate of ascent signed by a “top paddock” team, Holme Moss t-shirts, and a raffle benefitting the Yorkshire air ambulance.

The Bluebirds close harmony trio (Image: Supplied)

An ex-Gulf Racing Aston Martin DB9, in Le Mans class winning livery, will serve as this year’s course car.

The event starts at the Fleece at 10am, with the first Course Car Ascent at 10.30am.

While no pre-registration is required, a donation of £10 is requested.

A couple of weeks ago we wrote about the Festival of the Unexceptional and how it celebrates the every day workhorses of the automotive world. So here are the results, just so you know how unexceptional you have to be to win and become and exceptional unexceptional car owner.

The Festival of the Unexceptional enjoyed an sell-out success at Grimsthorpe Castle with a record attendance of over 2000 cars and more than 4000 guests.

Hagerty created the first Festival of the Unexceptional back in 2014 as a celebration of long-forgotten everyday family cars from 1968-1989, now fondly known as the ‘Unexceptional Era’.

The 2024 10-year anniversary event was by far the biggest and best yet, with thousands of FOTU cars lining the entire front lawns of Grimsthorpe Castle. A host of special guest cars appeared at the event, including the very last Austin Montego to be produced, supplied by the British Motor Museum.

Thousands of FOTU era cars lined the castle grounds for as far as the eye could see, with many owners having travelled hundreds of miles to be there. The public display had an eclectic mix ranging from a perfectly unexceptional Vauxhall Belmont to a base-spec, hubcap-shod W140 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and everything in-between.

The 50 cars selected for the main Concours event represented the finest mundane cars in the world. Lead Judge, and Practical Classics Editor, Danny Hopkins announced the 2024 Concours selection as the finest he had seen in the event’s 10-year history.

All of the judges highly commended Lewis Dickson for his 4,000-mile Citroen Visa, a car that had been stored outside, opposite his workplace, for a number of years before he managed to buy it. Christopher Lloyd was also commended for his Daewoo Lanos, one of just five examples left on UK roads. When asked if such a rare car attracts attention, he replied, after some thought, that it did not. The final highly commended nod went to Damian Brannigan and his wonderfully standard 1993 Fiat Panda.

The Chairmans Award was presented to Colin Corke and his Applejack Metro. Colin understands FOTU better than most, having entered a car for the past 8-years without winning anything. This year’s success shows that persistence pays off at FOTU.

The Retro Repmobile Award was given to Luca Alpert and his Nissan Primera. Luca is 21, drives the Primera daily and travelled all the way from Hanover to enter the 2024 Festival of the Unexceptional.

Second place was awarded to Amy Jaine and her 1998 Renault Clio. The Clio was originally owned by her grandmother, bought to take her grandchildren on days out. Many years later it was destined to be scrapped as it was no longer used, but Amy rescued it, and now it is Amy who uses it to take her grandmother on days out, keeping the car, and fun, alive.

The winner’s trophy of the 2024 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional was awarded to Mitch Lewis and his immaculate 1982 Toyota Hilux. The car has been a workhorse for much of its life, having been used on a fruit farm since new, but it remains completely original and was absolutely immaculate. To prepare for the event, the car was simply cleaned well, and driven to the event.

The first time I saw a Ferrari 116 MM Berlinetta Le Mans was in the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy. It is quite likely that the only place you will see one of these cars is in a private collection. With only 5 made it is an incredibly rare car and represents a key moment in Ferrari history.

To my surprise I came across another one out in the wild. Well to be honest it wasn’t that wild, it was in the grounds of a luxury hotel in Yorkshire as part of Yorkshire Elegance. Even though it was surrounded by fine luxury cars, for me, it was a standout car of the show.

In 1948 Maserati were rapidly gaining on Ferrari, but Ferrari had been working on an upgraded 166 to beat them. The 166 Mille Miglia featured the Barcheta body (meaning little boat) by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. Three factory 166’s were entered for 1949 Mille Miglia with Biondetti and Salani finishing first in their works car. The biggest win of 1949 was Le Mans where Luigi Chinetti drove to a resounding victory.

The Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans was built in 1950 to celebrate this famous Le Mans victory. Only five 166 MM chassis were fashioned with Touring’s Berlinetta Le Mans coachwork. It was designed primarily for racing, and was an improvement of the earlier Barchetta.

The 166 Mille Miglia – or MM – dominated sports car racing in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In fact, the Ferrari 166 MM is the only car to win all three of the great European sports car races – the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Targa Florio, and the Mille Miglia.

Unveiled at Geneva in 1950, the 166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans was a striking fastback with origins in the streamlined Alfa Romeo racing cars of the late 1930s. Sculpted from lightweight aluminum,166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans was a more aerodynamically effective Barchetta. Designed specifically for high-speed endurance racing, the Berlinettas featured a business-like cockpit and were equipped with leather tie-down straps, large external fuel fillers, and lightweight Plexiglass windows.

The Ferrari 166MM Berlinetta was fitted the same chassis as the Ferrari 166 Barchettas. The bodies were crafted by Superlegga (tubular space frame) and were completely aluminum. This design of the chassis was created in 1937 by Aderloni. Small diameter tubing was gas welded to create the steel skeleton, which was later fastened to the car. The front suspension was independent with a transverse leaf spring while the rear suspension had a live axle with leaf springs. Large drum brakes were placed on the wheels to better the stopping power, something that Ferrari would continue for several years. 

The Berlinetta was produced with a spark ignition four-stroke V-12 engine. Just like all the other 166s, the car had a three carburetor set up. The Berlinetta was rear wheel drive. It had a manual 5-speed transmission with a top speed of a 189 km/h, or 117 mph. The 0–60 mph time was 8.5 seconds.

With thanks to https://thefastlaneclub.com/ for introducing us to this wonderful car.

I love the idea of the Festival of the unexceptional. I confess that I haven’t been yet but the idea that we celebrate everyday cars seems entirely appropriate. These everyday cars ferried us to work and took the family on holiday. These everyday cars do their job and once they have served their purpose they are sent to the scrap yard.

As a result these cars have become rare. Once produced in their thousands they dwindle to almost zero. Survivors are a result of low mileage owners, hidden in storage or passionate enthusiasts.

Hagerty’s Festival of the Unexceptional celebrates its 10-year anniversary at Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire on Saturday 27th July, with thousands of mundane motors on display, and a Concours de l’Ordinaire selection of the UK’s rarest ordinary cars.

Festival of the Unexceptional is the only event where guests can enjoy rare survivors of brands that used to be seen every day but are now consigned to the history books. That is thanks to the thousands of FOTU fans who work hard to keep these most mundane of motors alive – long after the manufacturers have disappeared from the showrooms.

Here are ten buried brands to look out for.

Austin – Herbert Austin founded his eponymous car company in 1905 and the Austin name was quietly dropped for good in 1988.

• Last car produced: Austin Montego
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Austin Metro

Daihatsu – Japan’s Daihatsu made its first engine in 1907 and, in 2013, Daihatsu made the decision to withdraw from Europe.

• Last car produced: Daihatsu Sirion
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Daihatsu Charade

Datsun – Datsun’s roots can be traced to 1911 with the first DAT car being produced in 1914, however the Datsun name was phased out in favour of Nissan from the early 1980s.

• Last Car: Datsun Micra
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Datsun Cherry

Daewoo – Originally established in 1937, Daewoo entered the UK market full of promise in 1995, before going bust in 2002.

• Last Car: Daewoo Matiz
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Daewoo Espero

Lancia – An illustrious history that began in 1906 came to a grinding halt, in the UK at least, in 1993, but there is a chance that a newly-electrified Lancia could return to the UK in the future.

• Last Car: Lancia Delta
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Lancia Beta

Morris – William Richard Morris started WRM Morris Ltd in Oxford in 1912, and the Morris name disappeared when the last Ital was produced in 1984.

• Last Car: Morris Metro van
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Morris Marina

Mitsubishi – The Mitsubishi automotive arm was established in 1970 and, despite being an early adopter of hybrid technology in family cars it closed for business (in the UK) in 2021.

• Last Car: Mitsubishi Outlander
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Mitsubishi Colt

Rover – Rover built cars from 1904 and was eventually sold to BMW – who then famously sold out to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000 for a single pound. Overambition and financial mismanagement saw production end in 2005.

• Last Car: Rover 75
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Rover 200 Series (SD3 model)

Triumph – In 1921 Triumph acquired the Dawson Car Company and built its first four-wheeler and the brand was acquired by Leyland in 1960. The final vehicle to bear the name was a badge-engineered Honda, the Acclaim in 1981.

• Last Car: Triumph Acclaim
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Triumph Acclaim

Yugo – In 1980 the Yugo was born as a reworked 128, and a UK importer was found in 1981. However, as the wars of Yugoslav succession unfolded, exports halted, and the UK operation was closed in 1993.

• Last Car: Yugo Zastava Koral
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Yugo 45

To participate in this packed programme enthusiasts are encouraged to grab the last remaining tickets here. The entry price of £35 is per car, so if you can pack a Previa that’s just £7 per person for a full day’s fun.

By Classic Yorkshire contributor Tony Lofthouse

More famous car names are returning on a new generation of models, but is it a good thing?

This month, Ford announced plans for a new-look Ford Capri. Nearly 40 years on from the end of production of the Ford coupe, the ‘new’ Capri comes in the guise of an all-electric SUV.

Intended as the European equivalent to the Ford Mustang, the Capri was launched in 1968 at prices starting from just £890 and engine sizes ranging from 1.3 to 3.0 litre.

Under the bonnet, the 2024 Capri will initially come with a choice of either a 77 kWh or 79 kWh battery pack. It will be capable of running for 390 miles on a single charge.

In fact, the new EV is a close match to the Ford Explorer and Volkswagen ID5 with which it shares a platform.

Ford say the new Capri will start from £42,075 and ‘continues the story of the iconic cult classic’ whilst ‘injecting some soul into the world of EVs’.

That said, there are only slight echoes of the original Capri in the electric version, such as the C-shaped passenger windows and it will be available in the famous Daytons Yellow colour from the sixties.

The news comes just days after Honda revealed the return of the Prelude, 23 years on from its demise. The original Prelude was released in 1978.

The hybrid-powered coupe will join Honda’s ‘stable’ of all electric cars such as the Jazz, Civic and CR-V.

Earlier this year, the popular Renault 5, a feature on UK roads in the eighties and nineties, returned as a £25,000 EV supermini.

Vauxhall have also joined the re-naming trend, bringing back the Frontera as a compact new SUV. The old 4×4 was produced between 1991 and 2004.

It does makes you wonder, that whilst finding catchy new names for models can be tricky, resurrecting old names can be a divisive move too. Especially, when car buyers struggle to see any visible link between the original and new vehicle!