FoTU 2025 thread - show wrap up

[Dick Cheeseburger]

21 minutes ago, trigger said:

I had another fantastic day, me, @Broddersand @cortinaboy jumped in the Cavalier and raced 2 hours up the A14 with a cheeky McDonald's breakfast on the way.

We arrived at 9.30am, and pretty much drove straight in. (Yes I did stupidly queue for 30 mins for a £22 photo...)

The marshall parked us up in the Concours de l'Ordinaire area outside Grimsthorpe Castle which was nice.

And then it pissed it down, which wasn't so nice

But once it stopped things improved, this was the winner of the peoples choice and the judges and deservedly so, it was in amazing condition, it was due to be scrapped as the head gasket was gone so a young lad stepped up to save it, fixed it up and apparently even drove 1000 miles in a day for a set of headrests!

This belonged to KGF classics and was their own personal car, it was outstanding 

This was probably one of my favourites of the day but personally it felt more like a proper classic than a unexceptional unloved car

And a few randoms

I know nothing about this car, I presume it's a rotary engine, so many cool quirky bits on it, I loved the tiny little electric powered rear windows!

Anyone fancy a 5000 mile Volvo 340 for £15995? No I didn't think so

I love Tara green!

The 3 main winning cars, the Mondeo had done nearly 190k and was bought for £700 to save it from banger racing and the owner spent £6000 restoring it!

Chatted to Jonny Smith for a while, he's actually alright, we discussed Annika Rices bum.

And finally for a few shots of mine, it done 258 miles in one trip, three up with complete ease, probably the longest trip it's done in decades.

Some cracking motors there. Your mk2 Cav is sublime though. They didn't look that clean at 5 years old, let alone 40+ years. What an amazing survivor. Is it the 1600 lump? My mate's old one which he bought for £300 back in 95 went like the clappers. We went to MK from Cornwall in it to see REM. It was only after returning that the handling on the arse end was becoming a bit vague that he discovered the rear beam was hanging on by a wing and a player. The rear legs were basically gone. 

[alcyonecorporation]

Hey I went for a bit to this between job 1 and job 3. 

I didn't mind it. Spoke to a few people, got a bit of commissioned content. Went in SEAT of many miles. 

Unfortunately the show now appears to be attracting twats: from comments I've seen online,  it was the second time those drunken arseholes have turned up. 
 

[wesacosa]

8 hours ago, trigger said:

I had another fantastic day, me, @Broddersand @cortinaboy jumped in the Cavalier and raced 2 hours up the A14 with a cheeky McDonald's breakfast on the way.

We arrived at 9.30am, and pretty much drove straight in. (Yes I did stupidly queue for 30 mins for a £22 photo...)

The marshall parked us up in the Concours de l'Ordinaire area outside Grimsthorpe Castle which was nice.

And then it pissed it down, which wasn't so nice

But once it stopped things improved, this was the winner of the peoples choice and the judges and deservedly so, it was in amazing condition, it was due to be scrapped as the head gasket was gone so a young lad stepped up to save it, fixed it up and apparently even drove 1000 miles in a day for a set of headrests!

This belonged to KGF classics and was their own personal car, it was outstanding 

This was probably one of my favourites of the day but personally it felt more like a proper classic than a unexceptional unloved car

And a few randoms

I know nothing about this car, I presume it's a rotary engine, so many cool quirky bits on it, I loved the tiny little electric powered rear windows!

Anyone fancy a 5000 mile Volvo 340 for £15995? No I didn't think so

I love Tara green!

The 3 main winning cars, the Mondeo had done nearly 190k and was bought for £700 to save it from banger racing and the owner spent £6000 restoring it!

Chatted to Jonny Smith for a while, he's actually alright, we discussed Annika Rices bum.

And finally for a few shots of mine, it done 258 miles in one trip, three up with complete ease, probably the longest trip it's done in decades.

Your Cavalier was stunning. I thought it might have a chance of at least placing in the awards so was surprised it didn't 

That Skoda was lovely though, although it wasn't actually the current owner who saved it. It was a young lady called Georgina who has a number of Favorits and Pandas , she then sold it on to the current owner who has got it up to concours standard 

 

[TheXUDfiles]

I didn't see any drunken arseholes there myself (I'm not saying they weren't there, I just didn't see them). Maybe it's not a good idea to sell booze there. You don't need drink to enjoy your day, and something about beer in plastic pint cups consumed in the open air brings out the loud abrasive braying moron in people. Again, I'll wager they will be members of the general public who arrived there in Hyundai Tucsons to look at Escorts and Minis. You can smuggle in your own drink, but once its gone gone. It isn't on tap.

Personally I enjoyed it more this year than the other two times I've been. Maybe its because I'm an arsehole. 

One positive thing I want to note: how good the marshals were. They actually seemed interested in helping you park safely and find your away around, rather than being on a high-vis power trip. Also, did anybody meet the most talkative and friendly marshal in the world? Young lady with glasses and long blonde hair. Couldn't get away from her at the start! 

How the marshals and staff are at these events really do make a difference. On the whole, it was a good event.

[meggersdog]

TheXUDfiles yes we  saw the chatty young lady. There was also a friendly marshall further up who took photos of people with their phones for them.

Apparently a targa -top is so cool or if you are carrying a plastic beer glass then it's "FUCKING cool."

 

[JakeT]

I'll weigh in and add my teo penneth, which will probably kill this thread dead (sorry).

I saw a good few AS cars, all looking great. How people manage to find folks to chat to I have no clue, but good job. I spotted Herr Schaefft leaving, but that was about it.

On the whole, I enjoyed it and it was a decent day out. Like Bornite and others have said, I think that a little more spritzing of the format would be nice, as would MORE ROOM AROUND THE CARS. I recall a few years ago tonnes of space, and it was a joy to wander around them. This year it was close to supermarket car park levels of tightness, which causes damage, as well as complete pricks that like to key cars at a show. Those poor Dutch folk, how frustrating.

I don't mind the stage stuff, even though I don't really watch a lot. Even as a Smith and Sniff fan, their live podcast was particularly disjointed this time, but we all have off days so I wouldn't hold it against them, and it's a nice hours entertainment over lunch.

What can't be understated though, is how busy this year was. I think the relaxation of entry criteria has helped, as it's more an "old car show with a concours" now. Seeing Porsche 911s there was weird, as was multiple Rolls Royces. But hey, I suppose that's how it is now.

 

In short, I enjoyed it mostly, and will probably go back next year. There's a few folks I see every year, and have a good chat to. Plus, I always take a friend with, which helps make the journey more worthwhile. Plus, the vibe is generally good at FoTU. Just ban people that wear blazers and chinos though, please.

[Kiltox]

Must say it does look a lot more crammed in than I remember.  Sad to hear about the minority of arseholes in attendance too. 

Appeal has definitely gone for me now, the “tHaTs NoT UneXcePtioNal” chat used to get on my tits but some of the stuff people feel entitled to bring now is farcical.  Very distant from its original intention. 

Good to see those still upholding the actual point of the thing though. 

[catsinthewelder]

I'm sure they could find a nerd with a hi viz to point any RRs, Ferraris etc to a small enclosure by the toilets 😇

[HMC]

Ive never been but I would love it if the entry criteria had to be something like the model needing to be in the bad, or the ugly of Cars period GBU - and that condition wasnt the pinnacle. Perfect condition is very much exceptional. Concourse just fetishises the blemish free and turns things into unusable trinkets. 

[wesacosa]

2 minutes ago, HMC said:

Ive never been but I would love it if the entry criteria had to be something like the model needing to be in the bad, or the ugly of Cars period GBU - and that condition wasnt the pinnacle. Perfect condition is very much exceptional. Concourse just fetishises the blemish free and turns things into trinkets. 

The concours  bit is a little tongue in cheek I think, so they can call it the concors d'ordinaire.  Most of the cars are very nice examples and nicely turned out, but very few are anywhere near concours , most are in daily or regular use, and some have even been quite ropey close up 

[wesacosa]

the red K reg Mondeo on here at 27 mins , @egg

£1950

 

[Kiltox]

1 hour ago, wesacosa said:

The concours  bit is a little tongue in cheek I think, so they can call it the concors d'ordinaire.  Most of the cars are very nice examples and nicely turned out, but very few are anywhere near concours , most are in daily or regular use, and some have even been quite ropey close up 

Didn’t they go really wanky with the concours this year though? Scoring really hard for condition like at an actual car show 

[jmsguzzi]

There’s always been ‘posher’ cars turning up in the classic parking, no more this year than usual, I can recall multiple Porsches, Ferraris and Rolls Royces over the years. As a car enthusiast I really don’t mind and it still makes up about 2% of the cars there. Personally enjoyed seeing the coach built Rolls estate and reading it’s story. 
 

I thought they’d be easy to ignore in a field of hundreds upon hundreds of unexceptionable vehicles but I guess not!

[wesacosa]

33 minutes ago, Kiltox said:

Didn’t they go really wanky with the concours this year though? Scoring really hard for condition like at an actual car show 

id read something like that beforehand but during the awards the guy presenting said something along the lines of we don't judge this like an actual concours so not exactly sure

maybe @triggerknows?

[trigger]

They back tracked a couple of days later

"We’ve received some valuable comments regarding the concours scoring, and we want to take this opportunity to reassure you all.

From the very early days back at Whittlebury Hall, through to today, I’ve had the privilege of attending nearly every FOTU and being involved in the selection and judging process. Over the years, we’ve been continually amazed—not just by the rare models that have survived, but by the exceptional condition they have been kept in. Often, these cars rival multi-million-pound classics seen at other events.

FOTU has always been a light-hearted celebration of these wonderful cars and your passion for them. The concours is a special moment to acknowledge the incredible job you owners do to preserve them. These cars are not just vehicles; they’re an important part of our lives and this country’s social history. We all know nobody does this for money—just for love.

The introduction of the scoring system was designed to make judging fairer and more transparent, explaining why one car might win a prize over another. The ‘emotion’ points, which reward the best stories and originality, were intended to ensure that a car’s uniqueness and history were recognised. However, we appreciate the concerns that this isn’t reflected enough.

With this in mind, we’ve listened carefully and will place greater emphasis on story, originality, and rarity in the judging process. Of course, as with previous FOTUs, the judges will continue their rigorous inspections (and yes, they can still be bribed with biscuits!). So please do prepare your cars to the best of your ability, including the engine bay, interior, and those delightful period touches—whether that’s an original Rick Astley cassette tape, a Garfield the Cat window cling, or even your car’s trusty Haynes manual.

We’re really looking forward to welcoming you to Grimsthorpe once again and seeing your fantastic cars in the metal."

[moosemansjukebox]

Little late to the thread, but we had a great weekend at FOTU this year. It's unfortunate to read about the bad behaviour of some people.

The queue to get in was comical, they had 3 lanes and 3 staff to be scanning tickets. When we got in (maybe after ~50 cars ahead of us), they still hadn't figured out how to open more than 1 lane 🤣 

Couple of photos attached (shot on 35mm film to fit in with the vibe of the weekend). 

[egg]

@moosemansjukebox They're great what camera and film was that?

[moosemansjukebox]

11 minutes ago, egg said:

@moosemansjukebox They're great what camera and film was that?

Thank you!

Camera is a Chinon CM-4 with either a Chinon 50mm or Tokina 70-210mm lens (combined value of about £15 from a charity shop 🤣). The grainy shots are Lomography 400 and the cleaner shots are Kodak Portra 160.  

 

 

[alcyonecorporation]

Cannot like those 35mm shots enough. 

[Stinkwheel]

Great Shots. That red BX estate has a height corrector linkage problem tho

[Snipes]

@moosemansjukebox were you using any zoom with the Tokina lens?

[moosemansjukebox]

3 hours ago, Snipes said:

@moosemansjukebox were you using any zoom with the Tokina lens?

Yeah probably no more than about 130mm or so, above that my hands aren't steady enough 🤣

Couple more of some nice Corollas. 

[KWhite]

Saturday was my fifth time at FOTU and I really enjoyed it, not even the rain could dampen the spirits

There was plenty of fantastic cars on display and I was very pleased to see the @egg Mondeo in the metal 

Some of the many highlights for me...