Blenheim Palace Festival of Transport

The Blenheim Palace Festival of Transport is gearing up, galvanising the glorious grounds and getting set for the 8th annual weekend celebration.

Festival of Transport

Perfect for families, auto aficionados and festival fans the Festival of Transport is a hullabaloo of hot rods, vintage classics, exhibitions, trade stands, competitions and history.

Sunday 24th August will feature the Classic Car Show and Monday 25th August will include not only the Classic Cars but also motorcycles, Minis and VW's, Customs, Hot Rods and Americans, Kit and Sports Cars.

The bank holiday bonanza this year includes vehicle judging lead by former BBC radio presenter Les Clayton. Les, whose apprenticeship at Triumph and subsequent 17 years of specialist commentary will get all the family excited about the vehicular spectacle. Expect plenty to see and do around the grounds.

Event organisers Classic Shows have been running auctions and specialist car shows for almost 30 years and know exactly what gets the ‘petrol head’ in all of us hot under the bonnet. The show will have exhibitors, trade stalls and plenty of knowledgeable amateurs and motoring professionals offering a wealth of information, history and tonics about specialist vehicles.

From young to old the Festival of Transport is a true celebration of motoring history and achievement with plenty of exciting things to see, hear and do to keep all the family entertained.

www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events

Festival of Transport: 24th – 25th August
Park & Gardens ticket required: Adult £13.50 / Child £6.60 (Age 5-16) /Concession £10.20 / Family £36.00 (2 Adults & 2 Children)
INFO LINE:     0800 849 6500       

Simply Classics - Sunday 25th August

Simply Classics - Jaguar XK140

For a quintessentially English day out with your classic car, nothing can beat Beaulieu’s Simply Classics on Sunday 25th August. This popular event is now in its third year and will see all manner of pre-1988 vehicles enter the picturesque Beaulieu parkland to create a stunning classic car display.

Classic car owners and their passengers can drive through the beautiful New Forest, straight into the grounds of the National Motor Museum to display their car alongside other classics and enjoy a wonderful day out at Beaulieu too.

Take a look around the National Motor Museum’s stunning collection of over 250 vehicles, which includes a stunning selection of vintage Rolls-Royces, a number of early classic racing cars and a wide range of classic luxury vehicles including a beautiful cream 1935 Auburn 851.

In BOND IN MOTION, the world’s largest ever exhibition of original James Bond film vehicles, see some of the most iconic Bond vehicles, including a classic Aston Martin DB5 from GOLDENEYE – a car which is famed for its association with the James Bond brand.

Enter World of Top Gear to see the actual vehicles used by presenters Clarkson, Hammond and May in some of their most adventurous challenges over the years, including the Hindustan taxi from the latest series to air, which was declared the world’s best taxi after winning a world taxi shootout.

Take a stroll to Palace House, home of the Montagu family since 1538, and enjoy the peace and quiet in the cloister of 13th century Beaulieu Abbey.

During the afternoon, participating vehicles will drive through the parkland along the Demonstration Run, giving visitors the opportunity to see and hear these beautiful motors on the move.

Visitors to Beaulieu will be asked to vote for their favourite vehicle in the People’s Choice Awards. The owner of the vehicle with the most votes will receive a Beaulieu Trophy in the afternoon presentation ceremony.

Classic car owners are also invited to enter their vehicle into the Concours competition. To take part, simply download, complete and return the application form (available at www.beaulieuevents.co.uk ) by Friday 16th August.

For those people participating in the event with a classic car, ticket prices are Adult £10 and Child £5. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.beaulieushop.co.uk or on telephone line 01590 612888. All other visitors to the event should enter via the Main Entrance Hall at normal Beaulieu attraction admission prices.

Entry into the Beaulieu parkland with your classic car is from 9.30am when catering will be available. The event opens to the public at 10am.

Visit www.beaulieuevents.co.uk for more information or telephone 01590 612345.

Join the conversation with @Beaulieu_Hants on Twitter using #simplyclassics or check out our Facebook page www.facebook.com/nationalmotormuseum

Simply Classics - Beaulieu Is Simply In A Class Of Its Own

Visitors to Beaulieu on the Sunday of August Bank Holiday weekend could have been forgiven for thinking they had stepped back in time, as over 300 classic cars filled the grounds of the National Motor Museum, gleaming in the afternoon sunshine, for Simply Classics.
 
The event, only in its second year, has grown rapidly in popularity within a relatively short amount of time, and there was a fantastic range of classics on show, from Morgans and Morris Minors to Bentleys and Jaguars.

The highlight of the day was the presence of two very rare vintage racing cars, owned by Chris Williams, which were started up at regular intervals through the day to give visitors an idea of just how powerful these cars are. The matt-black Packard-Bentley, affectionately nicknamed “Mavis”, boasted a massive 42 litre Packard V12 engine, which quite literally ‘fired up’ as Chris revved the engine, throwing flames out of the exhausts on both sides.
It was accompanied by a Napier Bentley – a 1968 one-off special build vintage racing car with a 24 litre Napier Sea Lion W12 aeroplane engine. The engine had three banks of four very large stub exhausts, and the sound it makes when it has been started up has been likened to a World War I biplane.

A number of rally participants entered their treasured vehicles into the Concours Competition – a brand new feature introduced to the show this year. Judged by freelance motoring journalist, Dale Drinnan, and Managing Director of Vintage Tyres Supplies, Chris Marchant, each of the entrants’ vehicles was scrutinised in detail. The winner, Kevin Curtis from Totton, with his electric Monza blue Ford Escort RS1600, was presented with a special Vintage Tyres anniversary trophy by Mr Marchant. It is a rare car, and according to Kevin, who is part of the RS Owners’ Club, 1150 were originally built and today the car is thought to be one of only 200 still in existence.

On the day, visitors to Beaulieu were asked to vote for their favourite vehicle on display in the People’s Choice Awards. Brian Robinson from Ashurst won the award with his beautiful Jaguar XK140, and was presented with a special edition 60th anniversary Beaulieu Trophy by Lord Montagu. Second place went to a 1909 Paterson touring car, with owner Jan Degeling receiving a Vintage Tyres Trophy, followed by Gary Collins’ VW Campervan in third place. Gary, from Chichester, was presented with a bottle of Beaulieu Apple Cider.
Following the presentation, the top ten vehicles voted for in the awards took part in a cavalcade through the grounds, and created a display for visitors to admire against the stunning backdrop of Palace House.