Auto Focus - Silverstone Classic 2022 Highlights

Plan B turned out rather well. I grabbed my display pass for the Abarth 595 Biposto, moved all the camera gear across, and headed to Silverstone. RUSH 005 will cover the recent happenings with the Abarth in more detail – let's just say after a few uneventful months, the car has more than made up for it, as my credit card statement will prove.

Arriving at the circuit early, I completed media sign-on and headed to the extensive car club display area – not before a quick drive around the VIP car park though. A Polestar 1 (I do like these), an Aston Martin DB4, and a lovely Renault Sport Spider in all-over silver rather than the typical two-tone caught my eye.

I've attended this event for years now and it has continued to grow, but the 2022 edition felt noticeably quieter. The move from the traditional date to the late August Bank Holiday didn't work for everyone, and a redesign of some main areas seemed to affect the atmosphere.

Car Clubs and Celebrations

Car clubs are probably the biggest feature of the Classic. The 2022 event saw over 125 original and imitation AC Cobras on display and on track for a special parade celebrating 60 years of this iconic car. There were also 60th birthday celebrations for the MGB and Lotus Elan, plus a commemoration of 50 years of BMW's M division.

Away from the infield, the on-track action is more or less non-stop from early morning into the darkness of the evening. I had marked a few sessions on the timetable, so headed trackside (thanks to my media vest), set the camera up and waited.

Up first was the MRL Pre War Sportscars BRDC 500 for cars built before 1941. I'm going through a bit of a classics phase at the moment – there's something special about watching these cars, some approaching 100 years old, thundering round the track piloted by drivers see-sawing huge steering wheels with no seat belts. Racing for when men were men.

Next up was one of the weekend's most popular races: the Tony Dron Memorial Trophy for MRL Historic Touring Cars. This amazing grid of 58 cars is literally the stuff of dreams. Seven Sierra RS500s battled it out with five BMW E30 M3s and three R32 Skyline GTRs, whilst holding off various RS Capris, a Vauxhall Cavalier, and an eclectic mix of everything from a Mini Cooper to a BMW CSL Batmobile.

Given my limited time, the final on-track action would be the Masters Endurance Legends. Since the decision by the European Le Mans Series and World Endurance Championship not to have a UK round, opportunities to see modern prototype racing are very limited. Seeing an early 2010s Peugeot 908 HDi or Aston Martin DBR1-2 race alongside Dodge Vipers, Moslers and Ferraris brought back fond memories of when I worked as a photographer at the LMS/WEC rounds at Silverstone 8–10 years ago. Amazing times when Peugeot, Audi, Toyota and Porsche would fight it out for the prestigious trophy as a run-up to the great race at Le Sarthe a few weeks later.

Club Display Highlights

Away from the track, time to pick out some highlights from the various club displays. Jaguar clubs were occupying their usual infield spot on the banking at Copse corner. This year the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust brought a selection of cars from their base at Gaydon, plus a nice display of racing big cats including the one-off X-Type SCV8 alongside the TWR 9R (the prototype that led to the production XJR-15).

One highlight for me was seeing the Jaguar XK120 of Philip and Yvonne Haslam, a car I'd been reading about recently. It looked fresh as a daisy, complete with commemorative stickers from rallies including the Trans-America in 2012, the Samurai Challenge in Japan in 2017, and Nepal and Tibet in 2019.

Leaving the Jaguar display, I headed over to the Wellington straight for a brief chat with one of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club directors who'd arrived in his friend's immaculate Alfa Sud. That almost got my full attention until I spotted the SZ parked just a few cars away. As a huge fan of Zagato, it's always great to see one of these – I know they're marmite, but for me it would definitely make it into the dream lottery-win garage.

Walking through the RS Owners Club display, three cars caught my eye. First, a very pretty Mk1 Escort Mexico. There's a common theme with many Mk1s that sees owners change the wheels to Minilite style, add stripes and huge spotlights, so it was refreshing to see this one in its original colour scheme with chrome hubcaps, looking quite understated. Next up, the only car that's actually scared me – a Fiesta RS Turbo. Rewind to the early 2000s and my spell as a car salesman: one of these small hatchbacks put the fear of God into me. Seeing two parked in the paddock sent shivers down my spine. I really must face my fear at some point.

I reached the assembly area at the back of the pits just in time to see the TVR Car Club lining up for their parade laps. I grabbed a quick video of the 50-odd cars and pinged it over to the RUSH writers WhatsApp group – I think we all have a soft spot for various TVRs. Personally, the bright red Sagaris was the one for me, although Griffiths do look amazing value at the moment (yes, I've been browsing the classifieds again).

Once the TVRs had left for the track, I worked my way back through the remainder of the car club displays, passing a gorgeous Ferrari 348 in yellow (better than red on this car), then a nice line-up of Aston Martins before arriving at a special display entitled Britain's Rarest Cars. Pulled together by the Telegraph, it featured 50 cars – some the sole survivors of their breed. Avoiding one-off prototypes or multi-million-pound hypercars, the spotlight was on more familiar mainstream motors from bygone eras that are hardly ever seen today. I picked out the orange Fiat 127 Sport (ancestor of my Abarth) and a Vauxhall Cavalier Calibre, probably because when I was younger and had a paper round, I delivered to a house that had one almost identical.

Time was running away from me and I still needed to get over to the new pit complex. A quick sprint around the rest of the car clubs saw me pick out a very pretty Alpina D3 (still an itch I need to scratch), a subtly modified Lotus Elise S1, a display of more MX-5s than a petrolhead would ever need, a superb Pontiac Judge GTO and three silver Clio V6s.

Although single-seater racing does nothing for me, a hasty stop to grab a pic of Lewis Hamilton's championship-winning cars had to be done, especially as it was the first time they'd all been together. Judging by the crowds queuing to see them, I'm in the minority in not enjoying this form of racing, but each to their own.

The Wing Complex

One of the great features of the Classic is the shuttle buses that tour the circuit – vintage buses that offer visitors a great throwback to a bygone age. I decided to swerve the queue and walk over to the far side of the circuit. This proved to be a superb decision as it gave me a chance to catch up with an old friend: a very nice McLaren F1 I'd last seen in 2007. It appears the car is still in the hands of the same owner and now has to be one of the highest-mileage F1s in existence with over 45,000 miles on the clock. Always a pleasure to see it, especially when completely unexpected.

Arriving at the Wing complex, I simply had to grab some images of the 40th anniversary celebration of Group C. I don't think there's a more iconic car for people of my age than the Silk Cut Jaguar, and seeing a few examples along with a smattering of Porsche 956s and 962s was a further highlight of an already great day.

Silverstone Auctions

My final task was to visit the Silverstone Auctions sale housed in two halls of the Wing complex. The auction team always manages to pull together a superb selection of cars. The highlight this year was an S1 Escort RS Turbo previously owned by Lady Diana, which sold on the Saturday afternoon for over £650,000 (plus fees).

From a RUSH viewpoint, there were a few cars I picked out which would excite our readers (and our contributors, judging by the chat on our writers' group). The organisers must already be readers of the magazine as they'd parked five such cars together: a Corolla AE86, a BMW E30 M3, a Mercedes 190 Evo II, a Lancer Evolution VI and a Lotus Carlton. If only the magazine budget would allow it – that would make a cracking group test with three super saloons and a couple of left-field choices for the Japanese fans.

Speaking of fans of all things Japanese, heading back outside the Wing to look at additional auction entries, I had a good nosey around a rather nice Subaru P1 before turning my attention to another dream garage car: a Nogaro Blue Audi RS2. Simply gorgeous.

It was getting late and knowing I had a busy day moving furniture ahead, I decided to make my way to the bus stop and hitched a ride in a lovely old bus back to my car. Next year's event is already in the diary – hopefully with no house moves. If you've not been, please do give it a look. I'm sure it will, like me, become a firm fixture on your calendar.