Established as an alliance between Castle Combe Circuit and Racing Club in 2012, the annual Autumn Classic historic racing festival has grown in stature and now sits in third place behind the Goodwood Revival and Silverstone’s BRDC Classic in the closely fought league table of national historic racing events.
This year’s 2-day jamboree celebrated the Strawford family’s 50-year ownership of the charismatic Cotswold racetrack after Swansea-born patriarch, Howard, an acknowledged mover and shaker in U.K. motorsport, bought the freehold from AFN Porsche in July 1976. Howard died in 2013 after spending 35-years establishing the ex-MOD airfield’s commercial and sporting viability as well as earning the affection of motor racing enthusiasts who named the track ‘Britain’s Friendliest Racing Circuit’
As well as a program of 12-premier historic racing series the event also provided historic racing’s cognoscenti with attractions including a Dore & Rees classic car auction, static displays of iconic race cars and star driver interviews (above) including Bristolian Ben ‘The Stig’ Collins, ex BRM F1 drivers of the 1970s, Mike Wilds and Howden Ganley who also held Castle Combe’s circuit lap record for 25years jointly with Peter Gethin. Another guest was Gerry Johnstone, Dealer Team Vauxhall’s versatile and multi-talented manager, master mechanic and car-builder of the 1970s/80s.
Each year an Autumn Classic poster is designed by renown historic car poster artist Brian James and this year, Vauxhall’s ‘droop snoot’ V8 powered Firenza ‘Baby Bertha’, was chosen as his theme, fifty years after it debuted at Brands Hatch May 1975 driven by the great Gerry Marshall. It subsequently raced at Castle Combe in September 1976, when Gerry won against a strong grid of Tricentral Special Saloons, including west country hero Vince Woodman in his 3.4 litre V6 Ford Cologne Capri.
Racing action at a circuit regarded as one of the fastest and most challenging of the UK’s seventeen tracks delivered on all fronts. Saturday’s 90-minute endurance feature for Pre-66 GTs & Pre-63 Sports-Cars of a type that raced in the World Endurance Championship proved a cat and mouse contest between nimble Lotus Elans and growling Jaguar E-types, V8 powered Mustangs and 6-cylinder Austin Healey 3000s.
The latter race and rally steeds were originally developed as a joint venture 1959-67 between The British Motor Corporation and Warwickshire automotive design and engineering firm, The Donald Healey Motor Company. After 90-minutes and 60 laps of the 1.85-mile circuit it was the well driven Elan of Steve Jones/Ben Tinkler that prevailed, with Healey 3000s second and third.
Back in the paddock, the star of the display tent continually surrounded by an adoring crowd was the Sperling PURE EV fan car from McMurtry Automotive (above in grey) based in nearby Wooton-under-Edge and the Cotswold’s largest employer. The futuristic gull-wing prototype produces 1000 bhp and 2000 kg of downforce on demand and currently holds fastest time recorded up the Duke of Richmond’s Goodwood hill climb, driven by ex-Formula one Marussia driver Max Chilton in July 2024.
Providing something for every fan of historic motor racing, the 2026 iteration of the Castle Combe Autumn Classic was popularly judged a well-attended, resounding success. The 2027 version is planned for 11 & 12 September.
© Words Ken Davies and images inc Mike Stokes
