Morris Marina pick-up named ‘most unexceptional’

A 1980 Morris Marina pick-up took the best in show award at this year’s Festival of the Unexceptional. Owned by Jonathan Papworth, a Cambridgeshire potato farmer, it is still used regularly.

The event, organised by classic car insurance company Hagerty, is now in its third year. It is a celebration of the ‘standard’ cars of yesteryear- the saloons, hatchbacks and estate cars built in the British Leyland era of 1968 to 1986. The cars that were once on everyone’s driveways, but are now rare and uncelebrated.

Second place on the day went to David Wilson’s wonderfully standard 1979 Volkswagen Golf L, with the popular People’s Choice award being won by a stunning 1968 Hillman Minx estate, brought by James Cook.

The concours d’ordinaire show attracted 400 cars to Whittlebury Park in Northamptonshire, including such rarities as a 1988 Austin Metro Vanden Plas, a 1983 Talbot Samba cabriolet and a 1964 Austin J5 Paralanian camper van.

Hagerty managing director Angus Forsyth said, ‘We all had another superb day at the Festival of the Unexceptional. There is such a friendly atmosphere here, and people love sharing the stories of their cars.

Judging was carried out by an experienced panel of car experts, including Danny Hopkins, editor of Practical Classics magazine, and Nigel Matthews, previously a Pebble Beach concours judge.