Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional spotlights the most ordinary cars ever made

The Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional returns for its 12th year on July 25, 2026. This quirky event celebrates the most ordinary cars ever made, gathering rare survivors and forgotten models at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire. Fifty unremarkable yet fascinating cars will take centre stage in the Concours de l'Ordinaire. Selected from hundreds of entries, they include a 1992 Toyota Previa with just 26,000 miles and a 2000 Ford Escort Mk6 van—once cheap, basic, and rarely preserved.

A 1999 Ford Fiesta Finesse, barely driven with only 4,000 miles in 27 years, will also appear. Alongside it sits a 1996 Seat Ibiza 1.9D, clocking 46,000 miles, and a 2000 Kia Clarus Wagon—one of just three estates left in the Netherlands.

The lineup features a 1979 Renault 14, often called the brand’s worst model, and a 1990 Trabant 1.1. This late example runs on a 1.1-litre engine borrowed from a VW Polo. The festival highlights cars that were once common but now stand as rare relics. Visitors can explore these overlooked vehicles at Grimsthorpe Castle, where their mundane history becomes a celebration of motoring’s forgotten past.