Brits reaffirm love of motoring

Showcasing its unique heritage, the Club now organises more than 60 annual motoring gatherings, led by a quartet of prestigious flagship highlights: the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, the St James’s Motoring Spectacle, its own Historic Awards and now the newly introduced Royal Automobile Club Concours.

For nearly a century, the Club has curated the annual Veteran Car Run, and the 2025 celebration of the birth of the automotive era proved to be one of the strongest editions yet. Last month’s magical cavalcade from capital to coast (above) attracted the largest entry of pre-1905 vehicles in recent times and was universally hailed as one of the finest, attracting unprecedented crowds of well-wishers all along the route.

The Club’s second St James’s Motoring Spectacle also received significant acclaim, garnering record media coverage. Staged on Pall Mall in Central London on the eve of the RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, the Spectacle welcomed a crowd of more than 10,000 visitors and showcased motoring past, present and future through an extraordinary collection of 150 eye-catching exhibits.

Offering a seamless automotive timeline, the display ranged from an International Concours featuring more than 70 veterans preparing for the following day’s run from Hyde Park to Madeira Drive to the latest generation of electric cars – several making their UK debut on Pall Mall, which was closed for the occasion.

Another visitor favourite was a special presentation celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Formula 1 World Championship. The Club organised the very first points-scoring Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1950, and both Ferrari and Williams F1 cars were displayed to mark the milestone.

The Club’s iconic golden British Grand Prix trophy was also exhibited, with more than 1,200 visitors taking a ‘selfie’ with the coveted cup, most recently won, by now World Champion, Lando Norris, in July.

The highly prized gilded trophy was also showcased at the inaugural Royal Automobile Club Concours – an outstanding new addition to the Club’s event portfolio, hosted at its Woodcote Park country clubhouse in Surrey’s scenic Epsom Downs.

Held in early July between the British Grand Prix and the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the summer Concours was an immediate success and went on to win the ‘Breakthrough Event of the Year’ honour at last month’s International Historic Motoring Awards. The Club then hosted its own highly respected Historic Awards ceremony in its Pall Mall Clubhouse in mid-November.

The London Clubhouse was also the centre of its annual flagship London Motor Week, staged in the build-up to the Veteran Car Run. Over seven action-packed days, London Motor Week featured the Art of Motoring exhibition, industry dinners, high-profile lectures and the Motoring Book of the Year Awards.

Building on the remarkable achievements of the past 12 months, all the Club’s major motoring celebrations will all return enriched in 2026. The Club Concours at Woodcote Park – now further enhanced by the addition of the RM Sotheby’s Summer Sale – takes place on Wednesday 8 July, while the Veteran Car Run continues its tradition of running on the first Sunday of November, preceded by the St James’s Motoring Spectacle on Saturday 31 October. The Club’s Historic Awards will back in mid-November, too.

“Winning a major industry award this year was a tremendous endorsement of the commitment and passion behind our growing events programme,” said Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club who was presented with the ‘Breakthrough Event of the Year’ trophy at the International Historic Motoring Awards.

“Each of our major events reached new heights in 2025, and it has been a pleasure to see so many enthusiasts, partners and families enjoying them in record numbers. We look forward to building on this success and are excited to deliver even more memorable experiences in 2026.”