It’s been another successful British Motor Show with over 36,000 visitors making the journey to the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre to watch all the action in the live arena, the unveiling of new cars, manufacturers displaying their latest models, hand-on experiences and get up close and personal to some exotic machinery on display in the Supercar Paddock.
During the three days of this year’s show, some 1,000 test drives took place with cars from Ford, Tesla and BYD. And with over 1,000 cars on display there was plenty to see as manufacturers, specialist exhibitors and car clubs showcased their vehicles.
Three new UK car debuts also took place, including the LINKTOUR ALUMI, BYD Ti-7 and AION UT, while more traditional cars on display included Zach’s Garage’s Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut and a beautiful Lamborghini Miura. There was also a Formula 1 display of Michael Schumacher’s first Ferrari, the 1996 Ferrari F310, the Jordan EJ12 driven by Formula 1 driver Takuma Sato as well as the Alpine A526 F1 car.
A couple of cars from the movies made an appearance as Universal Pictures celebrated 25 years of its legendary Fast & Furious franchise with a special display of two replica vehicles from the blockbuster film series: the Dodge Charger from Furious 7 and the gold Lamborghini Gallardo featured in Fast X.
As has become tradition at the show, there were some familiar faces from the world of motoring, television and live entertainment, including Grace Webb, Helen Stanley, Tim Shaw and Sam Hard, as well as stunt-driver Paul Swift, young racing Oscar Stockley-King and drifter Taylor Clark of RFLX.
The Live Arena, sponsored by Bridgestone in partnership with Kwik Fit, had daily stunt shows and drifting displays performed by Paul Swift, RFLX, Team Maximum Lock and Jonny Davies.
Visitors were also treated to a game of “car football” hosted by Kevin Harris, reminding me of that very funny Top Gear episode in 2007 with the Toyota Aygo five aside football match with Richard Hammond and James May.
This year’s show saw 40 car clubs displaying vehicles, from cherished classics to custom built vehicles and The AA had a display of their roadside rescue vehicles through the years.
There were also plenty of Ride & Drive experiences for visitors to enjoy, including Drift Limit passenger and Monster Truck rides, Young Drivers lessons and the chance to go head-to-head with Alpine Sim Racing.
Younger visitors got the chance to immerse themselves in the world of LEGO® on the Lego Group & Smyths Toys Live Stage whilst families could enjoy the Discovery Garage with interactive exhibits, hands-on STEM activities and creative workshops to help make engineering and technology more exciting.
Away from the cars, the show’s Festival Fields offered family-friendly entertainment with a live music stage and tribute performances celebrating Status Quo, Robbie Williams, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, as well as original music from JAMROKI, joined by singer Ophelia, Rascal Raves and singer-songwriter Jemima.
There was also a fairground and British Army Village, where visitors could try interactive games, see military vehicles and take on challenges whilst learning about future careers.
Andy Entwistle, CEO of The British Motor Show, said:
“This year’s show proved once again that the UK has an incredible appetite for accessible, family-friendly motoring events. From major new car debuts and packed test drives to live arena action, car clubs, music and hands-on attractions, the weekend brought together everything people love about cars in one place. We’re hugely grateful to our exhibitors, partners, hosts and visitors for making it such a memorable success, and we’re already looking forward to building on that momentum in 2027.”
The British Motor Show will be back at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre next year from 20th to 22nd August 2027. For more information, please visit: www.thebritishmotorshow.live.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is a UK-based motoring and travel journalist and editor, a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and former saloon car racing driver.
Photographs by Gary Harman
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