It's a warm summer's day and the field I'm standing in is full of hubcaps, big black plastic bumpers, funky carpets and colourful fabrics. Badges like Austin, Daihatsu, Rover and Daewoo feature heavily and there's a slight whiff of chips in the air.
I could be in a McDonald's car park in the late 1990s-back when everything was a bit brighter and Ronald McDonald's colourful tones hadn't been phased out in favour of grey minimalism. And it's not just fast food chains that seem a bit more grey these days. Take a look at an online car configurator and you'll be overwhelmed by a sea of grey, or other equally dull hues.
The Festival of the Unexceptional (FotU) is an automotive antidote to this. It's all about bringing back the joys of average motoring life from the relatively recent past, when we remember things being taken less seriously. Gone are aggressive grilles, alphanumeric model titles and monotone design, replaced by cutesy faces, fun names and that brilliantly 1990s shade of turquoise.
FotU was created to celebrate the forgotten and currently unloved cars facing extinction. Judge Jon Bentley explained: "The whole point of the show is cars being preserved which are very ordinary. You wouldn't normally think to preserve them, so they just tend to quietly disappear. But luckily there are groups of enthusiastic people who love to preserve all these things."
Christopher Lloyd's Daewoo Lanos is a great example. It's just one of five left, and he recently spent many times its value respraying its bright non-metallic 'Super Red' paint. But when asked how much recognition he gets on the road for his efforts, Lloyd instantly replied: "None whatsoever.""
The event features a line-up of 50 cars selected for a judged concours, with contenders ranging from a 1970s Triumph Toledo to a 1998 Renault Clio, and visitors are welcome to park their own unexceptional cars for everyone else to admire.
この記事は Autocar UK の August 21, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Autocar UK の August 21, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
MG 4
An EV changes your driving style - but not to the detriment of pleasure
PEUGEOT E-208
Time with our French hatch is up. Is it good riddance or au revoir?
In the hot seat
Is the best automotive job in the world actually in miniature scale? Hot Wheels' design boss assures STEPHEN DOBIE it is
Correcting the record
Autocar invented the road test back in 1928 - or did we? KEITH JONES trawls the past to find the true starting point
Road test rebooted
As the Autocar road test forges into its second century, its brief is expanding and it's returning to a familiar place. MATT SAUNDERS explains
Cyber attack
MG is back on the international stage and now trying to return to its sports car roots. MATT SAUNDERS sees if the Cyberster EV can match up to a rival from the present and a relation from the past
KIA PICANTO
As rivals fall by the wayside, Kia's popular city car gets a makeover
MASERATI GRANTURISMO
Latest coupé in a long line of Maserati GT cars hits the UK with V6 power
PORSCHE CAYENNE GTS COUPE
New V8 model gets all the goodies
TOYOTA PRIUS
Back by popular demand with a cool new look and greater driver appeal