Race Retro 2026

23 Feb

My first time at this event, held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. Here is a rundown of my experience and what I thought about the show.

It spanned three days, but I only attended on the Sunday, with my best mate Jay tagging along to keep me company. The day-pass ticket was £32.85 per person, which is quite normal for big events. We left at 7:00 a.m. to arrive for 9:30 a.m. I had read in advance about the protocol for disabled visitors and was pleased to see that there was closer parking provision, as the standard car park was quite a walk. On arrival, I was quite surprised to be parked in a field, as I wasn't sure I would have navigated the mud so well in my wheelchair.

From the second we arrived, there were some seriously cool rally cars driving past us to get to the tracks along with several parked up — a very welcome sight. We made our way to the entrance which was a bit exhausting for me as it was still some distance, so I was grateful that there was ample seating and a café as soon as you walk in. Bearing in mind that it was cold outside, inside it was obviously much warmer and well heated; you’d think there would be a cloakroom where you could pay a small fee to leave big heavy coats, but after checking with staff we soon discovered there wasn’t one and that we would need to carry our coats. Now, ordinarily that probably wouldn’t bother anyone, but in one hand I was using my walking stick and in the other I wanted to take photos of the cars I had come to see. It was not a quick walk back to the disabled car park either. Thankfully Jay was with me and kindly took my jacket for a while until we both decided it made more sense for him to take the coats back to the car while I waited.

As you will see from the photos, there were some absolutely spectacular vehicles on display, and they really made the event feel special. I was genuinely impressed with the variety on offer, which kept things interesting throughout the day. Some of these shows can become very repetitive, so it was a welcome change to see such a broad mix. For example, when I attended the Lancaster Insurance Motor Show last year, I was really disappointed with the Ford section, which was essentially a sea of Cosworths and XR3i models, with base-spec cars largely absent as they become rarer these days. There were a good selection of traders too, which caught my eye given the nature of my business. I bought some art from one of the independent artists who was displaying his hand-painted automotive pieces. At first, when I mentioned I was a digital artist, he turned his nose up a little, but after a really lovely conversation we hit it off and I brought him onboard. He took a look at my website and we talked through how I go about getting the commissions I do, since I’ve produced a lot of custom work. I think he was genuinely surprised by the success I’ve had, to be honest, and it was great to connect with someone who shares a passion for car art.

It was also lovely to see Steve Harding of ManCave Art and catch up. You may recall that Steve and I are part of the AUTO ART Collective but even before this, I had seen his incredible creations at shows that I have attended and even traded at, like OhSORetro in Margate.

This event was laid out across three main halls and a few smaller ones, which held the autojumble and other displays. To be honest, I thought it would be bigger, especially given that it spanned three days. I suppose there was the rally outside.

So at this point, we decided to venture up to the rally section, which was outside. We obviously needed our coats, so we went back to the car in the field; the rally area was on the other side of it, and we figured we would continue through the field since we could see an opening with a man standing there. As we approached him, he told us we had no access, without offering any explanation. It was quite a long way to go all the way back and round, and given that we were in the disabled car park—where people with mobility issues are supposed to have easier access—it felt hardly accessible at all. We proceeded to walk a few metres to where there was a hole in the fence about three metres away from this guy, cut into the paddock area for the rally cars, and were able to join the route to the viewing areas of the rally stages. By the time we got to a spot where you could actually see anything, I was pretty ruined, to be honest. It was still cool to see the cars in action; they had created some compact circuits that looked fun to navigate, with some cars even driving around with bumpers hanging on. After a little while, we made our way back to the car and left, as there wasn’t really anything else going on. I think it would have been better up at the rally viewing area if there had been coffee and tea vendors and at least some seating, because by the time we arrived I desperately needed a seat — all I could think about was getting back to somewhere I could sit down and recover. On the way back to the car, we attempted to cut through to the disabled car park since I could literally see my car, but two people in high-visibility vests were suddenly on us like a rash. (Yeah, don’t worry that you could see me in agony and where I was trying to go.)

We were there from about 9:45 a.m. until around midday, so would I say it was worth £32.85? Not really, no.