20 BEST CLASSIC AND SUPERCAR EVENTS in 2020

Winner of the Motoring Event of the Year category in the Octane and evo sponsored 2019 Historic Motoring Awards, the annual Retromobile extravaganza is held over 72,000 sq ft of exhibition space with around 1,000 cars on display and well over 600 exhibitors including dealers, coachbuilders, restorers, auction houses, parts and automobilia vendors, along with around 120 car clubs and federations.

Top Tip

While in Paris you won’t want to miss the high-end auctions: Artcurial’s held at the Retromobile site, and Bonhams at the Grand Palais about 20 minutes away.

Find out more: https://www.retromobile.com

The London Classic Car Show brings together some of the most beautiful classics and modern classic cars under one roof. Dealers, restorers, car clubs and enthusiasts combine to celebrate the best the historic car world has to offer, with dynamic displays along the Grand Avenue and talks from famous personalities. JBR Capital has exhibited at the show for the last three years and we’ll be returning in 2020.

Top Tip

The show gets very busy at the weekend, so if you’d like a more relaxed experience, go for the Thursday evening preview and join us for a glass of champagne surrounded by some beautiful classic cars.

We’ve seen major motor shows come and go but the Geneva Salon d’Auto has been a mainstay in the international automotive calendar since the turn of the 20th Century. It is, perhaps appropriately, neutral ground for the world’s carmakers and is very often the first place to see the latest production and concept cars. Last year saw an increased focus on electric vehicles – not least the Pininfarina Battista – but combustion engined exotica remain a big draw with the likes of the Ferrari F8 Tributo, Aston Martin Vanquish Vision and the £14.5m Bugatti La Voiture Noire drawing large crowds. More supercar and prestige car débuts in 2020 are a given.

Top Tip

The show is big – beyond the scale of any UK car show, but unlike, say, the Frankfurt Show, it’s easily navigable. Don’t be afraid to get up close to the cars on display and if there’s a car you’re interested in it’s highly likely that the staff on the stand will let you sit in and get a feel for the cabin.

Find out more: https://www.gims.swiss/

Billed as the world’s most exclusive race meeting, the 78th Members Meeting will be the season opener for Goodwood’s 2020 motorsports calendar. Recreating the atmosphere and camaraderie of the original BARC Meetings held at Goodwood through the 1950s and 1960s, there’s access all areas across the two days of thrilling racing with demonstrations from the finest historic cars, as well as more modern machines never previously seen at the Motor Circuit.

Top Tip

If you’re considering going, then book your tickets early as the event is an annual sell-out.

Find out more: https://www.goodwood.com/motorsport/members-meeting/

Essentially a race meeting held on Monaco’s famed GP circuit for pre 1980 racing cars, 2020 will see the 12^th running of this prestigious biennial fixture. In addition to the practice and qualifying sessions, the weekend will feature more than 20 races and parades with F1 cars from a number of different eras plus the no less glamorous Aston Martin, Jaguar, Ferrari and Maserati sportscar racers of the 1950s.

Top Tip

Unlike the Monaco GP or any other F1 World Championship round, at the Monaco Historic GP the public can mingle with the cars and drivers, so be prepared for much more informal, more relaxing paddock walkabouts.

Find out more: https://acm.mc/

Italy’s iconic 1,000-mile road race was staged most years from 1927 to 1957 when a halt was finally called to the madness. The retrospective Mille Miglia Storica was first run in 1977 and it subsequently became an increasingly popular annual happening from 1986 onward. Eligible cars are essentially those which competed in the original Mille Miglias, but despite there being around 400 entries, the Storica is always over subscribed so unless you happen to own an ex Nuvolari Alfa or an ex Caraccciola Mercedes, gaining an entry can be almost as much of a challenge as the gruelling, sleep-deprivating driving.

Top Tip

Whether competing or spectating, this event involves a fair amount of planning in advance if you’re to make the most of it. You might choose to save yourself a logistical headache and book a package with a travel firm.

Find out more: http://1000miglia.it/?lang=en

First held in 1929 at the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este, this highly prestigious concours event ran off and on until 1951. There was then a gap of some 44 years until the event was revived at the same location in 1995.

A favourite of ours here at JBR Capital, the accent here is on aesthetics, style and seminal design of the 50 stunning cars, rather than the fastidious correctness of their every nut and washer. Concours entry is by invitation from those already registered, and the themes and categories change on an annual basis.

Top Tip

The Sunday is the only public day, so if you’re unable to attend as an invited guest on the preceding days, be sure to arrive early.

Find out more: https://www.concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com/

First staged as the City Concours on the five-acre lawn of the Honourable Artillery Company’s HQ in 2017, the London Concours is billed as ‘a luxurious automotive garden party hosted right in the heart of the City’. This annual event features a ferocious collection of horsepower arranged in specially curated and themed displays, and in 2019 the 130 cars included a row of seven Lamborghini Miuras, a McLaren F1 next to a P1, a Aston Martin DBS with a DBS Superleggera and a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso alongside a GTC4 Lusso. The 2020 London Concours will doubtless be similarly impressive and enjoyable.

Top Tip

The HAC grounds are exposed to the elements so hats, sunglasses and maybe a brolly are recommended. While there is an NCP car park nearby, we’d advise you travel to and from by taxi, train, tube or bus.

Find out more: https://londonconcours.co.uk/

Another event held every other year, 2020 will see over 800 historic cars compete in around 20 races over the three days. The racing takes place on the full circuit which combines the ‘modern’ 3.2-mile GP track with the infamous ‘Green Hell’ – the 12.9-mile Nordschleife.

With a little over 16 miles of track there’s an abundance of spectator locations, along with a huge variety of side shows, owners club gatherings, a large market square and entertainment. Additionally, there’s plenty of related atmosphere in the neighbouring towns and villages.

Top Tip

If you get there early or leave late then a lap of the Nordschleife may be possible. It’s something that should be on every petrolhead’s bucket list, but check your insurance small print first…

Find out more: https://www.nuerburgring.de/en/events-tickets/oldtimer/nuerburgring-classic.html

An historic race meeting par excellence held at what’s arguably the world’s most evocative circuit. 2020 will see the 10th running of the Le Mans Classic which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Porsche’s first outright victory in the 24hr race and the 25th of the McLaren F1 GTR’s overall win on the Sarthe circuit.

Other attractions include Group C racing with the iconic cars of the 1980s and early 1990s, GT and prototype racers from the 1990s and 2000s, plus club parades and enclosures featuring around 60 makes and 8,500 cars. Additionally, the entertainment, exhibitions and side shows are almost boundless.

Top Tip

Artcurial will be holding an auction at the circuit on the Saturday, with viewing over the previous two days.

Find out more: https://www.lemansclassic.com/language/en/home/

As many of you will already be aware, the FoS has reached an epic scale, both in terms of its physical footprint and its importance in the motoring calendar. For many years it’s been the world’s best attended event of its kind with weekend crowds of up to 150,000, all attracted by the veritable orgy of priceless classics, legendary drivers, F1 stars, keen competition and all manner of exotic machinery.

The event’s main theme and centrepiece for 2020 has yet to be announced, but it will doubtless be every bit as spectacular as in previous years.

Top Tip

The area around Goodwood is a nightmare for traffic during the event. If you can, book a hotel or ‘glamping’ spot nearby and take a shuttle or short walk to the show.

Find out more: https://www.goodwood.com/flagship-events/festival-of-speed/

In terms of the sheer number of cars the Silverstone Classic has established itself as the world’s biggest classic motor racing event attracting 1,000 race entries, crowds of 100,000+ and 120 car clubs displaying more than 10,000 classic cars. The three-day festival features the very best of historic motor racing covering more than eight decades of motor sport, as well as live music and a wealth of family entertainment. As in previous years, Silverstone Auctions will also be holding sales on the Saturday and Sunday.

Top Tip:

Be sure to visit the garages under the Silverstone Wing, where you can get up close and personal with the cars and race teams and truly experience the sights, sounds and smells of the circuit!

Find out more: https://www.silverstoneclassic.com/

Although not on the scale of Goodwood or Silverstone, several hundred Aston Martins, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens and Porsches descend on this New Forest venue to form the ‘must-see family spectacular that brings some of the world’s most exclusive and desirable motors to Beaulieu’.

The main attractions are the demonstration run along the estate’s Chestnut Avenue and the static supercar sound-off (or noise contest). There’s also a prestige and hypercar display, and club displays – perhaps the most impressive last year was McLaren Owners UK’s which brought together no less than 50 of its cars.

Top Tip:

If you’d like to be part of the weekend in a bigger way by displaying or driving your supercar then contact the organisers well in advance.

Find out more: https://www.beaulieu.co.uk/events/

While the best known attractions of Monterey Car Week are the various auctions and the super-prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, there are many other events taking place along that part of the California coast during Car Week, such as the Tour d’Elegance and the Quail Motorsports Gathering, plus a plethora of other concours competitions, marque gatherings and road tours as well as historic racing at the nearby Laguna Seca circuit.

The key auction players during the week are RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams and Gooding & Co., with Russo & Steele, Mecum and Rick Cole also staging sales, with many hundreds of cars changing hands every year for hundreds of millions.

Top Tip

As ever, it’s essential you do your homework on any cars in which you have an interest in bidding for. Attend the previews and take the advice of an expert on any car; don’t rely on the auction houses’ descriptions.

Find out more: https://whatsupmonterey.com/events/monterey-car-week

The last British Motor Show was held at London’s ExCeL Centre in 2008, and it’s making a return, if in name only, for 2020. The Hampshire venue offers 40,000 square feet over five halls, while outside there’ll be a two-mile track for test-driving.

According to the new show’s organiser Andy Entwistle, “We’ll be celebrating motoring past, present and future with halls dedicated to all the best that the manufacturers currently have to offer, a peek into the future and, of course, some amazing classics. It’s going to be unlike any other motor show you’ve seen”.

Top Tip

Effectively being an all-new event we can’t offer any tips, but on what we know so far it should be worth a visit.

Find out more: website to be launched 19/11/19

2020 will see the 14th running of Salon Privé with its stunning array of rare and high-end classics on display. In addition to the main concours competition with multiple categories, there’ll be the single marque Masters competition (Bentley in 2020) and the new Classic and Supercar show which will see upward of 2,000 super, hyper, luxury and classic cars on Blenheim’s South Lawn enclosure.

Also guaranteed is lashings of Champagne and lobster and, not least, Ladies Day where the only requirements are to be beautifully dressed with a hat or fascinator.

Top Tip

Keep an eye out for test drive offers once you’ve signed up for tickets. You could bag a test drive in anything from an Aventador SVJ to an F8 Tributo.

Find out more: https://www.salonpriveconcours.com/

Now settled at its resplendent Hampton Court venue, the Concours of Elegance competition celebrates 60 of the world’s absolute finest classic and historic cars, many of which have never previously been seen in the UK. In contrast to most other prestigious concours events, the owners themselves judge these cars, rather than the usual panel of judges.

Adding to that spectacle are around 250 other automotive jewels, from Victorian veterans to present day prestige, super and hypercars, not forgetting the optional all-day VIP hospitality, of course.

Top Tip

If you’re able, go on Owner’s Day to witness the grand arrival of the 60 incredible concours cars as they make their way to the Palace gardens.

Find out more: https://concoursofelegance.co.uk/

Although not quite on the scale of the massive Festival of Speed, the Revival is also a huge event with some 150,000 people attending over the course of three days. Despite the incredible value of many of the cars on the grid (close to £200 million for the Kinrara Trophy race), the racing is fast, close and fierce. It’s not unusual to see a few close scrapes and some ‘offs’, but the skill of the drivers of these wonderful cars is nothing short of breath-taking.

Top Tip

It’s strongly encouraged that you arrive in period costume – the vast majority of attendees do and it really does add to the experience.

Find out more: https://www.goodwood.com/flagship-events/goodwood-revival/

Alternating annually with the huge Frankfurt motor show, the Paris show is undergoing a major revamp for 2020. Billed as a ‘multi-event festival’, it will have themed itineraries and visitors will be able to build their own personalised itineraries using a mobile app.

There’ll also be shared and single-brand test drives centres, autonomous vehicle demos, plus of course all the latest cars from the world’s leading manufacturers. All in all, expect it to be a major celebration of the automotive, motorcycle and mobility industries.

Top Tip

As this is effectively a new event, we don’t have a Top Tip for you, but we’d be pleased to hear yours should you attend!

Find out more: https://www.mondial-paris.com/en/visiteur/auto

Bringing together the world’s largest gathering of over 300 car and motorcycle clubs with over 3,000 classic and vintage cars and bikes on display, the annual NEC Classic Car Show is spread across seven of the NEC’s halls, so it’s big but also manageable in a day if you stick to the halls that interest you. The best cars tend to be on display with the car clubs in Hall 1 (our partners, Lamborghini Club UK, always bring some very special cars).

Top Tip

Unless your interest extends to nuts and bolts, avoid the larger halls that are packed with parts and memorabilia vendors. These areas are extremely busy and it can make navigating the show an unpleasant experience.

Find out more: https://www.necclassicmotorshow.com/