What not to miss at this weekend’s Silverstone Classic

By Lizzie Pope

| 24 Jul 2019

Classic & Sports Car – What not to miss at this weekend’s Silverstone Classic

The Silverstone Classic looks set to live up to its claim of being the world’s largest classic motor racing festival when it returns to the Northamptonshire circuit this weekend (26-28 July).

Anniversaries galore ensure there’s something for everyone in the 21-race programme – plus, for the first time in the event’s history, classic Formula One, Formula Two and Formula Three cars will all be in action.

Heading to the festival? Here’s our guide to all of the highlights.

Bentley hits 100

We promised you anniversaries, so let’s start with a big one – Bentley’s centenary.

And how better to mark such a magnificent milestone than by staging a potentially record-breaking race.

It’s hoped that more than 30 racing Bentleys will line up for Saturday evening’s Bentley Centenary Trophy for Pre-War Sports Cars.

We’re talking 3-litre, 4.5-litre Blower, Speed Six models and the like. And these will be joined by pre-war Aston Martins, Alfa Romeos, MGs, Bugattis and more in an evocative contest.

There’ll also be a track parade for Bentley car clubs, plus, the 2003 Le Mans 24 Hours-winning Speed 8 will make its event debut when owner Shaun Lynn campaigns it in the Aston Martin Trophy for Masters Endurance Legends, racing into the sunset on Saturday and again on Sunday afternoon.

A Capri celebration

This anniversary should delight fans of classics from a completely different era.

It’s the half-century of the Ford Capri, which will be marked by a one-off trophy, awarded to the highest-placed Capri in Sunday’s Historic Touring Car Challenge.

What’s more, the prize – named the Gordon Spice Trophy – will be handed out by the man himself, with the most famous Capri racer back at Silverstone for the occasion.

Marvellous Minis

Yes, it’s another birthday, but who doesn’t love a classic Mini?

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ll know that the Mini hits 60 this year and Silverstone Classic has pulled out all the stops.

In fact, it’s attained special dispensation from Motorsport UK, the governing body of UK motor sport, to run a 60-strong grid of pre-’66 Mini Cooper S cars in the Mini Celebration Trophy, which you can catch on both Saturday and Sunday.

It’s the largest grid in the event’s history, and there will be some star names behind the wheel, too, such as 2013 BTCC Champion Andrew Jordan, Le Mans class winner Darren Turner and Patrick Watts, who won the Mini 850 Championship in 1979.

But that’s not all. The racing will be preceded by a track parade on Friday led by none other than Paddy Hopkirk in ‘33 EJB’, his 1964 Monte Carlo Rally-winning Mini.

JYS on track

Another British racing legend is set to star at Silverstone this weekend – three-time F1 drivers’ champion Sir Jackie Stewart.

This very month, 50 years ago, Stewart scored his maiden British Grand Prix win at Silverstone, en route to his first world championship.

And he will be back in the Matra-Ford MS80 in which he took that victory this weekend, when he completes commemorative laps on both Saturday and Sunday.

He’ll also be raising funds for his charity Race Against Dementia.

A single-seater spectacular

In a first for the Silverstone Classic, historic F1, F2 and F3 single-seaters will all be in action across the weekend.

In fact, it’s the first time classic F2 cars have raced at this meeting and organisers hope to see the biggest-ever F2 grid, featuring Matras, Chevrons, Brabhams and more, while classic F3 is returning to the event for the first time since 2014.

Catch all three series in qualifying on Friday, and races on Saturday and Sunday.

Group B giants

Yes, you did read that right – rally cars are coming to the 2019 Silverstone Classic.

Venture away from the track action and in the Shift & Drift Zone – the strip of former track between what were once Abbey and Bridge – you’ll be able to see demo runs from Group B stars such as a Ford RS200, Peugeot 205 T16 and Nissan 240RS.

What’s more, an ex-Colin McRae Subaru Impreza will be on show, too.

A Silverstone auction

In the market for a classic? Look no further than Silverstone Auctions’ Classic Cars & Competition Cars sale, which gets under way at 2pm Saturday, with a second sale the following day at the same time.

It’s estimated you’ll need £850,000-1m if you fancy the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing pictured above, but that’s far from the only exciting lot.

How about a seven-mile Group B rally car, cars from the stable of the late, much-loved racer Barrie ‘Whizzo’ Williams or a title-winning Cortina? Or you could bid on a barn-find E-type or an Aston Martin DBS V8 owned by actor Steve Coogan, or a 17-strong collection from a ‘Gentlemen collector’.

Check out the full lot list here – then start raiding your bank account…

A record-breaking infield

And there’s yet more to see off-track, too, with the biggest ever number of car clubs registered for the weekend’s extravaganza – 136 at the last count!

It’s a massive moving motor show of privately owned classics that’s a feast for all enthusiasts.

In addition, there will be in excess of 40 track parades – including those already mentioned – between the races, featuring car-club classics marking significant anniversaries and showcasing a wealth of wonderful machines.

Among these are the Austin-Healey 3000, BMW Z1, De Tomaso, Fiat Coupé, Honda S2000, Mazda MX-5 and Abarth.

But that’s not all from Abarth, which is 70 this year: the manufacturer is holding an Autotest Challenge, plus both Abarth and Alfa Romeo will be offering test drives, while those who are already owners will have the use of an exclusive club house. Nice!

Supercars on show

Returning to the Silverstone Classic after its debut last year is the Supercar Showcase.

Starring iconic classic cars from across the ages, including a Lamborghini Countach, De Tomaso Pantera and Jaguar XJR-15 (above), as well as younger models, there should be something for every taste.

Head to the International Paddock to take a look.

Of course, that’s not all. There’s also live music, food and drink, and children’s activities including crazy golf and funfair rides.

And, come rain or shine, with free access to all the grandstands, it’s easy to enjoy the racing.

Inspired to go? Tickets for the Silverstone Classic are available here and must be bought in advance, and you can check out the event’s timetable here.

Images: Jakob Ebrey Photography/Silverstone Classic

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