- Every year the Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional celebrates thoroughly unexceptional cars.
- Hagerty has revealed a selection of the finalists in the lead up to the 2026 event.
- This year there is even a Ford Escort van!
The event that is without doubt the annual highlight of the global classic car scene - the Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional - is taking place again on Saturday the 25th July at the Grimsthorpe Castle estate in Lincolnshire, UK.
Now in its 12th year, the "unique" motoring event celebrates thoroughly unexceptional cars, and the unquestionable highlight of the Festival is always the Concours de l’Ordinaire, where fifty of the finest unexceptional cars are displayed on the lawns of the country estate, selected from hundreds of entrants.
As it does every year, Hagerty has picked out a small selection that really jumped out from the fifty finalists to highlight in the run up to the Festival, and this year there are some legendarily unexceptional cars in the selection.
You can read the full article on Hagerty's website, but here is a taste of things to come for the 2026 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional, complete with comment from Hagerty on their reason for selection:
2000 Escort Mk6 van
In some ways, commercial vehicles like this Escort van could be the most unexceptional vehicles of all. They’re bought as cheaply as possible, maintained only as long as they’re needed, and given their drivers aren’t always their owners, mechanical sympathy isn’t always of the first priority.
Vans also tend to be quite low spec, which is something we can definitely get on board with. With all that in mind, it is great is it to see a clean Mk6 Escort van like this one.
2000 Kia Clarus Wagon
In the text submitted in the Concours entry form for this Kia Clarus Wagon, the owner states that they’re almost completely forgotten, with just three estates and twelve saloons left in the Netherlands, where it’ll be making the journey from this year.
Never mind “forgotten”, we didn’t realise they did an estate version of the Clarus in the first place. The other cars on the Concours lawn will have to try hard to match the Kia’s level of anonymity.
1990 Trabant 1.1
Trabants were never a common sight outside of the Soviet Union, but since the Iron Curtain creaked open in 1991, the little East German cars from Zwickau (whose factory was bought by VW in 1990 and today produces ID3s and the bodies for the Lamborghini Urus, among other things) have attracted a cult following.
They are by all kinds of standards not good cars, but they’re also very charming. The one you’ll see at this year’s FOTU is quite a late example, its 1.1-litre four-stroke VW Polo-sourced engine marking it out as a car from the final eleven months of production
1999 Ford Fiesta Finesse
This wonderful Fiesta has somehow covered only 4000 miles (6430km) in its 27 years. Given the enormous popularity of Fiestas over the years, this Finesse is a prime example of one of those cars that used to be on every street corner and has since long been scrapped and turned into refrigerators.
The owner of this car is a serial Fiesta fan, so this one will surely live on in good hands.
1979 Renault 14
In the submission for this pear-shaped Renault, its owner starts off strong by FOTU entry standards: “Often regarded as the worst Renault ever produced…”
You can sense it’s said with affection, not least because a Renault 14 was the owner’s first car, and this one even incorporates a few of the original parts taken off that first 14 that was scrapped more than three decades ago.
1992 Toyota Previa
The Renault Espace has been a common sight at past FOTUs, but it shouldn’t hog all the MPV limelight.
The gloriously egg-shaped first-generation Previa was launched in 1990, and we’d argue is unfairly left out of discussions about the best Japanese cars from that era. In GL trim this one is also pleasingly low-spec, but with only 26,000 miles on the clock it’s also a rare survivor.
1996 Seat Ibiza 1.9D
Remember when Seats were fun? Well, a naturally-aspirated diesel Ibiza might not be the best advertisement for that, but this simple little Giugiaro-styled supermini in bright red paintwork still appeals.
Our FOTU example has covered only 46,000 miles (74,000km), surely escaping the rougher treatment some of these cars (especially diesels) received in period.
1973 Mazda 1300 Estate
A recurring theme in previous Concours de l’Ordinaire lineups has been the appearance of an exceptionally rare Japanese car from the 70s or 80s.This Mazda 1300 Estate fits squarely into that category.
Badged Familia in its home market, a line that evolved into the 323 you may be more familiar with and subsequently led to today’s Mazda3, it’s a rare sight in the UK as it is, but the Estate must be almost extinct globally.
"Selecting fifty finalists from the long list of entries has always been a tough job," said Mark Roper, Managing Director of Hagerty UK.
"In reality every car submitted is worthy, so we spend hours determining the correct specification, looking for unrestored examples and seeking out those with a great back story before awarding the coveted entry. I hope you enjoy this preview of the great cars you can see at the 2026 Festival of the Unexceptional."
