Silverstone Classic to celebrate 25 years

22 May, 2015

The Silverstone Classic festival, held over July 24–26, was always going to be a big one for the festival that is known as “the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival” — add in the fact that 2015 also marks the festival’s 25th anniversary, and this year will be something extra special.

The biggest feature of the event will be the Silver Jubilee parade, which will see an enormous array of silver cars take to the Silverstone track. The parade is open to anyone with a silver car, be it new or old, and has already attracted a diverse and wonderful line-up — from a 1934 Austin Seven Special, through to Land Rovers and Aston Martins.

With the Silverstone Classic already renowned for its huge display of classic and vintage cars — around 10,000 privately owned classics are expected for display — yesteryear’s finest will be sure to be well represented.

It won’t just be old vehicles, though. “For once it’s not limited to those lucky enough to own an E-type, 911, or F40 – it’s open to all those millions of motorists who simply have a silver car,” said event director Nick Wigley. Attendance is expected to top 100,000 for the first time.

Other highlights of the event include the RetroRun parade, as well as two of the festival’s most prestigious races — the Royal Automotive Club Tourist Trophy for Historic Cars for Pre ‘63 GTs and the Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy for Pre ’56 Sports Cars. These two race events will play host to a wonderful line-up of automotive history, from E-type Jaguars, to Ferraris, and Le Mans–winning D-type Jaguars and Aston Martins.

NZ Classic Car magazine, November/December 2026 issue 408, on sale now

Star status for classic Porsche
A long search ends: finding the right car
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, the Porsche 911 heralded an iconic lineage of sports cars, known for their exceptional performance, remarkable racing reliability, and adaptability, second to none.
New Zealand Classic Car, in conjunction with Star Insure, recently conducted a photo competition to find 13 suitably impressive classics to grace the pages of the magazine’s 2027 calendar. A flood of entries showed that Kiwis recognise eye-catching designs and restorations. Many are handy with a camera, too, and have entered some outstanding results.
The choice was not straightforward, with multiple stunning entries, and Geoff Long’s immaculate 1990 Porsche 911 (964 Factory designation) took top honours. Fortunately, Geoff had Ethan Hanlon handy to take the accompanying photos while working in his office.
“I’ve got a young employee who is doing work experience in my office at the moment, and he’s a very avid photographer. So, I said, I’ll buy you breakfast and then why don’t we go and take some photos. He found the right spot, and he spent over an hour photographing.”
Originally sold new in Japan, hence the right-hand drive, the Porsche was resident there for four years before being exported to New Zealand, as Geoff recalls.
“I bought it two-and-a-half years ago, but I looked for it for over two years, because it’s just the colour scheme, interior and exterior I was after. The service file that came with it is extensive; I mean, it’s been beautifully looked after, which is what I wanted to continue, as it does get driven. It doesn’t sit in the garage.”

Classics on the green

Many pretenders vie for the title, but the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance gets my vote as the biggest thing since sliced bread.
The 71st edition of the world’s pre-eminent and best-known concours event featured 28 classes, judged by a 180-strong jury, which also chose the recipients of 26 special awards.
The size of the event, the number of visitors, and, most mind-numbingly, the sheer number of amazing cars, is almost overwhelming. There are so many quality cars to gaze upon, and so many people gazing at those cars, that it is almost impossible to cover everything.
Notable among the many attractions were the centenary celebrations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an elegant Talbot-Lago Grand Sport, Hermann Graber’s Swiss-bodied cabriolets and coupés, the jewels of Otto Vu Italian V8s, early Alfa Romeos, Lincoln and its centenary, and cars with unorthodox propulsion systems.