With beautiful national parks, friendly people, and being a good 120-plus miles from London at a minimum, Yorkshire has plenty going for it. And with Yorkshire Elegance from The Fast Lane Club, it also plays host in July to a three-day, must-visit motoring event.
In partnership with Hagerty, Yorkshire Elegance will see special guests, special cars, and special locations all rolled together, with famous names like Andy Wallace, and stunning cars like a freshly-restored D-Type making an appearance.
Each day offers something a little different, depending on your automotive tastes. The first takes place at Bowcliffe Hall in Bramham, conveniently located just off the A1 near Wetherby. This is the event’s Ladies’ Day, as well as a Le Mans Showcase, with a display of former Le Mans 24 Hours racers, as well as the people that drove them.
Figures like the aforementioned Wallace will be in attendance, along with Jackie Oliver, Nick Faure, and Mike Wilds. The cars are special too, from 1923 and 1925 Bentleys, an AC Cobra used as a race support car by Stirling Moss, a class-winning 1932 Works Aston Martin, and a newly-restored D-Type – as well as newer machines like a 2018 Ginetta G60 LMP1, and 2020’s LMP2 class-winning United Autosports prototype.
There’ll be a luxury brand showcase and retail village to enjoy too, while the lawn at Bowcliffe Hall will be filled with classic and prestige models from the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini and Aston Martin. A VIP hospitality option further offers a three-course lunch, a private terrace and more.
Day two, also at Bowcliffe, is concours day. You’ll find similar amenities (and the VIP package is offered once again), while judging will award cars in three classes – pre-war vintage to 1940, post-war classics from 1941 to 1970, and classics from 1971 until 1990.
With a “best of British” parade, there’ll also be a special Norman Dewis Trophy for the best classic Jaguar in show, as well as an award for the best sounding car, and of course the best overall car in show.
Day three moves to Harewood Hillclimb – the country’s longest (and, if you’ve ever been there, unusual for having a fair old downhill section over the first part of the course). Between 10am and 12pm cars will take part in non-competitive runs up the hill, before embarking upon an 80-mile driving tour ending at Grantley Hall, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, for dinner. Special guests from the world of Le Mans will once again be present.
Tickets are on sale now, with prices ranging from £49 per person for general admission on each of the first two days, through £195 per person for the day three Harewood and driving tour package, to £350 per person for VIP hospitality on each of the days at Bowcliffe Hall – including entry into the concours, and a place for your car on the main lawn.
There are many reasons to visit Yorkshire then, but if you’ve got a classic, vintage or performance car, you’ve now got three more reasons to visit on the 18th, 19th, and 20th of July.
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