The British love their classic and vintage cars. There are more than 1.5 million historic vehicles registered on the official UK government database. In that context, "historic" means cars 40 years old or more, and the number of them is increasing all the time. Partly that is because a new “year” of vehicles hits historic status each year. Also, there is still a regular flow of historic cars being “found” in barns after decades of slumber and being added to the database. In total, these outnumber the historic cars that are scrapped every year, so the market is definitely growing.

On any weekend between April and October, the British roads are full of classics jostling for position with more modern wheels and there are regular classic car shows. If you are more interested in modern vehicles, no nation has a car industry quite like the UK.

Take a tour

The UK is approximately the same size as Oregon and you can drive from one end of the UK to the other in a day. Even better, you can take a train – the rail infrastructure is far more coherent than it is in the US, and you can plan a tour and buy all your tickets at once. Here are some of the most iconic venues to include.

Goodwood Festival of Speed

If any one event sums up the gearhead’s passion for speed, it is Goodwood. This weekend-long event takes place at the Goodwood Estate in Chichester every summer. Yes, the focus is on speed, but that doesn’t mean it is all 200mph supercars.

They are there in abundance, but you’ll also get to see Edwardian cars that are more than 100 years old – and not just as exhibits. If you want to see a 1907 Darracq being driven to the limit on a hillclimb, go to Goodwood!

Morgan Car Factory

Morgan Motor Company has been producing cars at its factory in Malvern since 1910, and over 113 years, very little has changed. A tour around Morgan's production site is unlike any other car factory tour you can take today. Each of the 800 cars produced each year is built by hand, right down to the ash frame.

Stepping into the workshops on a guided tour is like stepping back in time. You can get right up close to the craftsmen working with their hand tools and there is not a root or a production line in sight.

The Festival of the Unexceptional

British car enthusiasts will be the first to admit they can be a little eccentric, and many even wear it as a badge of honor. Nothing captures that spirit quite like the Festival of the Unexceptional, a celebration of unexceptional vehicles manufactured between 1967 and 1997.

2024 will see the 10th anniversary of this strange car show, where Bentleys and Bugattis are turned away at the gate, but Daewoos and Daihatsus that have survived from the 1980s and 90s are treated like automotive royalty. Last year’s winner, a 1991 Daihatsu Applause, drove all the way from Sweden to take part in the fun.

Land Rover Solihull Plant

The 300-acre plant in the Midlands employs 9,000 people today and the state of the art factory is an amazing sight to behold as it churns out the latest Land Rover Defenders and Range Rovers. It’s fascinating, but it’s only part of the tour, which also takes in Solihull’s remarkable history.

Originally two farms occupied the site. They were bought by the British government in 1936 as a shadow factory in light of the potential war to come. Sure enough, in 1939, the factory manufactured aircraft engines. The 1930s façade still has its wartime camouflage in place. In 1948, the original Land Rover Series was launched, and Solihull has been the birthplace of every Land Rover and Range Rover made since.