Thousands of people enjoyed the first ever Southport Classic and Speed event, as crowds were wowed by classic, vintage and modern cars from three centuries of motoring.

Vehicles on display ranged from an 1899 Hurtu, brought by local collector Bernard Williamson, to the very latest supercars courtesy of Porsche Centre Preston.

Victoria Park in Southport was the perfect venue for the main event as thousands of visitors toured the park in glorious sunshine admiring amazing displays including Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Porsches, Austin 7s, Aston Martin, Jaguars, and some incredibly rare pre First World War entries. Admission to the event was free.



Local primary school teacher Hannah Gomersall was in period costume sitting in a rare Gladiator car, similar to the one which was driven by female motorsport pioneer Dorothy Levitt in the 1903 Speed Trials on Southport’s Promenade.


A fleet of cars then left the park for a grand parade through the town centre, taking in streets including Lord Street and the Promenade, where they were officially flagged off by Mayor of Sefton Cllr Clare Carragher.

There are plans to make Southport Classic and Speed even bigger and better next year.

Speaking at the park, event organiser Mike Ashcroft said: “Southport has got a tremendous motor sport history from the land speed records and sand racing, from before the war that went on to the 1970s.

“Our plans for the future are really to introduce a competitive element to the event.

“We would like to see sand racing at some stage on the beach and possibly a sprint on Marine Drive.

“We think the Southport Classic and Speed event has got a great future.

“We are absolutely amazed at the quality of the entries we had this year. We had 240 cars here, some of them for the first time in the UK.

“There were cars here which were winners in the Pebble Beach Concours in California, which is the premier event in the world.

“We had a superb collection of Bentleys, Rolls Royces, there was a special display of E-Types, we had UK Hot Cars, which are locally based, but all in all, there was a superb collection of cars. There were a few bikes out there as well. We hope to have a few more next year.

“I would like to thank Alan Adams, the manager of Southport Flower Show and Victoria Park Events; Sefton Council; Southport BID and others.

“I would also like to thank our sponsors, including Cataclean, and our supporters, including Porsche Centre, Preston.”

Added attractions at Southport Classic and Speed included marque and car club displays, local crafts, food and drink stalls and a shopping village. Sandgrounder Radio broadcast from their bus on site throughout the day.

The event was organised by Aintree Circuit Club, which runs Ormskirk Motorfest.
Southport Classic and Speed was presented by Cataclean and supported by Porsche Centre Preston, Sefton Council, Southport BID and Victoria Park Events.

This year’s Award Winners were:

BEST IN SHOW - Jim Clarke - 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost
BEST PRE 1918 David Fellows - 1901 Bertrand
BEST PRE WAR UP TO 1939 Mike Postle - 1931 Austin Seven
BEST POST WAR TO 1966 - Chris Walker - 1962 Aston Martin DB4
BEST 1966-90 - John Dickenson - 1968 Wolseley Hornet Mk 3
BEST POST 1990 - Martin Higgins - 2007 Subaru RB320
BEST E-TYPE - Jack Ashcroft - 1961 Jaguar E-type OBL Prototype
BEST BENTLEY - David Lawson - 1935 Derby
BEST ROLLS-ROYCE - Graeme Calvert - Thomson - 1996 Silver Spirit IV

For more details about Southport Classic and Speed please visit: www.southportclassicandspeed.com or visit the Southport Classic and Speed page on Facebook

More pictures from the event