WHAT MAKES A CAR EXCEPTIONALLY UNEXCEPTIONAL?
Autocar UK|August 21, 2024
It's not as easy as you might think to find a car that will woo the judges at the Festival of the Unexceptional. Alex Wolstenholme shadows them to learn the formula for success
Alex Wolstenholme
WHAT MAKES A CAR EXCEPTIONALLY UNEXCEPTIONAL?

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.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 21, 2024 من Autocar UK.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 21, 2024 من Autocar UK.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من AUTOCAR UK مشاهدة الكل
Poster car that went from rusty to trusty
Autocar UK

Poster car that went from rusty to trusty

One evening, two years ago, George Pappas was being driven down his local high street by a mate and mulling over whether to replace his Mk4 Golf diesel, a recent purchase that was boring him to death, when his girlfriend, also in the car, spotted an old BMW 3 Series at the side of the road with a 'for sale' sign in the window.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024
THE SEVEN-SEATER THAT VOLVO DARE NOT KILL OFF
Autocar UK

THE SEVEN-SEATER THAT VOLVO DARE NOT KILL OFF

The current-gen XC90 has been on sale since 2015 for good reason

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024
GENESIS ELECTRIFIED G80
Autocar UK

GENESIS ELECTRIFIED G80

Where the story begins, in the Hyundai premium marque’s luxury saloon

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
LEXUSLBX
Autocar UK

LEXUSLBX

Can you shrink premium quality to fit an SUV this small? We now know

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Rolls boss ready to 'define the next chapter'
Autocar UK

Rolls boss ready to 'define the next chapter'

Nine months into the job, Rolls-Royce CEO and car guy Chris Brownridge tells STEVE CROPLEY what he's learned and where the firm's heading

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Once more, with feeling
Autocar UK

Once more, with feeling

AC Cars' recreation of the classic MkII Cobra is at first glance a faithful facsimile of a 1960s performance benchmark. SIMON HUCKNALL drives it

time-read
7 mins  |
November 13, 2024
MERCEDES-BENZ CLE
Autocar UK

MERCEDES-BENZ CLE

Does a PHEV set-up work in a coupé that exudes such old-school vibes?

time-read
9 mins  |
November 13, 2024
ANALOGUE SUPERSPORT
Autocar UK

ANALOGUE SUPERSPORT

Lotus Elise specialist uprates 1990s icon with an eye on track days

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
ALPINE A290
Autocar UK

ALPINE A290

The hot hatch is alive and well, and living in France. On both road and track, there's much to savour`

time-read
5 mins  |
November 13, 2024
UK HANGS ON TO OLD CARS
Autocar UK

UK HANGS ON TO OLD CARS

Average car age climbs as high prices dampen demand for new models

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024