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Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership
Celebrating classic cars and their owners, this fantastic display gathers together enthusiasts with the best stories about the rarest, most unusual and cherished vehicles.
We have seen cars found as a wreck and restored to its former glory, those that have been owned over decades from new by the same owner, some extremely rare examples and many with wonderful stories of how they hold significant sentimental value to a loved one.
The winner is chosen by you, the visitors, voted for throughout the show giving owners the opportunity to tell you their story and why you should pick their car.
The awards presentation takes place among the competing cars on Sunday afternoon.
The 2025 finalists
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Bought for his daughter who loves old cars, this little Japanese classic is now a rare sight on UK roads. With just 56k miles on the clock and plenty of original features, it is also a nippy performer and gets plenty of interest when Carl and is daughter are out and about. -
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Having owned one before, Nicola was keen to have another of these drop-tops and describes this one as being in a sad state when she bought it. It’s been driven and enjoyed, though, and treated to a rolling restoration that’s returned it to a much better condition! A cracking convertible. -
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This stunning French classic has been owned by Andy since September last year, and he says that he fell in love with it. After spending time in France the car returned to the UK in 1997 and it has previously benefitted from a £20k restoration, including a full engine rebuild. -
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This early Mini has a great family story, having previously belonged to Jamie’s grandfather and dad. Twice restored in secret, it is now in superb condition and has been to plenty of shows. It is a deserved prize winner, and it’s no surprise that Jamie and his family are immensely proud of it. -
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It took the owner more than 10 years to find one of these rare cars, and it’s been treated to a full body restoration, engine rebuild and interior refurb. Mick says he had to source parts from all over the world, and this is its first show since the restoration was completed. -
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Paige’s father bought this hot hatchback in 2003, and it has been on quite a journey since then. It’s a car she loves and has put a huge amount of work into, turning it from a car in a sorry state to something rather special. The effort has certainly paid off. -
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This S3 model was specified with every factory option, and is presented in incredibly original condition. Still with a very low mileage, it has featured in books and magazines as well as winning awards at some very prestigious events. It is hard to imagine that there’s another like this. -
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Originally purchased as a dream car, ‘Marilyn’, as the Golf is lovingly called, underwent an extensive restoration including a respray, new wheels, and a complete engine overhaul with a MK4 engine conversion. After years of work, it returned to the road in 2024 and immediately started winning multip ... -
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Nicknamed ‘Colin’, this fabulous Capri has been in Stuart’s family since it was new. Having spent almost 40 years in storage it emerged in 2018, and that was the beginning of an extensive restoration. Now in stunning condition, it’s a car that the owner is rightly proud of. -
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The owner says he enjoys a challenge and this was the rarest car he could find. Simon restored this now-rare German classic himself, and adds that he needed to fabricate plenty of parts. It has undergone quite a transformation, and the result of all the hard work is a fascinating machine. -
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Owned since the age of seventeen, the sheer amount of work needed meant it was put aside for seven years. It then received a very extensive restoration, with a lot of attention to original details, and Nathan admits to spending thousands of pounds. The result is stunning, though. -
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The owner always wanted one of these and says that he just had to buy it. After a few years of ownership it spent some time off the road, but Dean and his son carried out plenty of recommissioning work and now it’s a classic Beemer they both enjoy driving. -
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Rescued from a scrapyard in 2016, the Nova has had an extensive restoration along with some special modifications. They include custom metalwork and a race-tuned 1.6-litre 8-valve engine that provides plenty of performance. Rory’s first car was a Nova, and he describes this one as a ‘personal passio ... -
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Paul found this one-owner car in a private collection in Germany, saying that it was wonderfully original. Planning a sympathetic restoration, he took things a bit further with new panels and paint and plenty of original parts and it’s no surprise this rare hatchback gets plenty of interest. -
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Having owned her ‘Pagoda’ for 24 years Nikki says it’s one of the family. It has benefitted from a lot of restoration work – much of which she’s done herself – and the reward was Best Pagoda in Show at the annual concours of The Mercedes-Benz Club. It’s a cherished classic. -
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It’s a car that divides opinion, but Alexandra loves her Allegro and has named it ‘Peggy’. Bought for just £800 in 2014, it’s in superbly original condition and the owner has put in plenty of hours that included an engine rebuild and attention to the paintwork. It’s won trophies, too. -
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This is one incredible fast-Ford, one that features a wealth of Mountune upgrades. And the stunning condition is a result of lots of hard work by Mike, the restoration work covering just about every aspect of the car. Entered in concours competitions, it has won an enviable number of trophies. -
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Jason originally missed out on buying this cracking coupe, but when it appeared for sale again he had to have it. Bought for a good price, he has since had the 1.7-litre engine fully serviced, replaced the cam belt and water pump and renewed the rear suspension bushes. -
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Wayne found this car in Scotland and is its tenth owner, and describes the lovely hot hatchback as his pride and joy. Benefitting from some sill repairs and a respray, it is now in fine condition and has already bagged a ‘best in show’ award which it certainly deserved. -
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Bought early last year having been off the road since 2019, this limited edition Trophy model required a lot of work. That included dealing with plenty of corrosion, refurbishing the interior and repainting the car in its original yellow. The result is a brilliant example of this popular British cla ...
How to enter
Vehicles manufactured before 31 December 2004 were invited to enter into the Pride of Ownership competitions for consideration.
The full Terms & Conditions are available on our T&Cs page.
Competition Rules
Unlike other competitions, this is not a concours event. Whilst the standard of the car is still paramount, it’s the story the owner and the car have shared that will be taken into consideration when deciding who makes it onto the final centrepiece display. Modified and replica cars will be considered alongside their original counterparts.
A vehicle can only be entered once in a three-year period for the physical competition. Any online versions are open to previous entrants and finalists. An owner can enter one vehicle per year but it must be a different one each year.
Clarion Events will not contribute to any transportation or accommodation costs for entrants.
The competition is presented in the spirit of like-minded enthusiasts coming together to celebrate their vehicles. Entrants are asked to keep this in mind when submitting their application.
Voting
Visitors can vote for their favourite car having had chance to not only inspect the cars at close proximity but also chat to the owners and hear their stories.
While the owners can engage and campaign with other entrants and visitors, any form of intimidation, cheating, derogatory remarks or bad mouthing is not tolerated and those involved will be disqualified and asked to leave.
Votes must be completed at the event within the competition display area. Votes will be counted and verified by Clarion Events Ltd and the organiser's decision is final.
The car with the most visitor votes wins with trophies awarded for first, second and third place. The first place winner will be invited to display their car at the next edition of the show.
Yvonne Gosney, Senior Trading Manager of Lancaster Insurance, sponsors of the Pride of Ownership, said: “This competition is an integral part of the show and a real highlight of the weekend for many visitors. There have been some outstanding winners and participants over the years and we know there’s still some real gems out there waiting for their time to shine."
Find out more about Lancaster Insurance. 
