Silverstone Festival wows crowds with incredible display of classic motoring

F1: A lap of the British Grand Prix

Silverstone Festival wowed crowds with a glistening display of over 70 years of motoring in a classic car bonanza.

Renamed from its previous iteration as the Silverstone Classic, the Festival delivered a memorable weekend for petrolheads at the ‘Home of British Motorsport’.

On-track, there are 20 races over the course of the weekend stretching almost every era and discipline since before the 1950s.

Lotus Cortinas battled Ford Galaxies in the Transatlantic Touring car duel while a string of beautiful Jaguar E-Type’s glistened in the morning sun during the Big Cat Trophy.

Late on Saturday night, stunning Ferrari 512 M’s glistened in the sunset as they battled Lola T70’s.

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However, the standout event was the glitzy Masters Racing Legends which put F1 cars from 1966 to 1985 back where they belong.

Anyone who has seen Chris Hemsworth’s 2013 flick Rush will be right at home with the sounds echoing through your body as you stand trackside.

The only gripe is that following the action can be difficult with fewer trackside TV screens than at the circuit’s larger events.

Unlike attending the British Grand Prix, the Festival’s paddocks are completely open to the public giving visitors a chance to get up close and personal with the machines.

The pit garages are also completely open and people are encouraged to walk inside and take a closer look at the machines as long as they are careful.

Eager race fans grabbed a word with a mechanic working on a 1982 Tyrell 011 who took pride in explaining exactly how the the models are put together.

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Away from the racing, Silverstone Festival is one of the UK’s largest classic car shows and there really is something for everyone.

Over 100 car clubs were in attendance with almost the whole of Silverstone’s infield covered with everything from Corvettes to Maserati’s and Ferrari’s.

Special anniversaries were also celebrated with over 600 Porsche’s taking part in a special celebration on Saturday evening.

Club Lotus and the Lotus Drivers Club joined forces to bring hundreds of cars as the sports car brand also ticked off 75 years.

Meanwhile, the Aston Martin Owners Club attended in their droves to make 110 years of the much-loved British marque.

Another standout feature of this year’s show was an iconic celebration of NASCAR 75 years after the American stock car series was founded.

A selection of models previously raced by stars such as Jeff Gordon were on display while openers took part in a parade on all three days of the show, the very first time a selection of US stock cars have driven on the Grand Prix circuit.

Looking to the future is also a theme of the event with electric cars a major part of the off-track activities.

Visitors had the chance to get behind the wheel of brand-new EVs from manufacturers including Tesla, Ford and Polestar.

Jeremy Clarkson even made an appearance at his pop-up Diddly Squat Farm Shop in the food zone where chefs such as Jack Blumenthal, Tom Rhodes and Mark Lloyd wowed guests with exciting recipes.

Music is now also a big part of the event and fans were treated to three days of sumptuous talent.

The Sugababes headlined on Saturday evening with McFly closing out the festival late into Sunday night.

But, general admission tickets for the event are pricey with adult entry at £99, more than costs for the MotoGP in July.

Although, this does get you a roving grandstand ticket and free bus shuttles to transport you around the circuit as much as you like.

Costs aside, Silverstone Festival is an engaging weekend for petrolheads with something for the whole family.

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