Largest free UK motor show on Regent Street on Saturday 3rd November 2012

On Saturday 3 November, as part of the free weekend of motoring hosted by the Royal Automobile Club, the Regent Street Motor Show will take place in London from 10.30am until 4.00pm. The event is on the same weekend as the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run and the RAC Future Car Challenge and is being held for the third year running.

The largest free motor show in the UK, the Regent Street Motor Show promises to be better than ever this year and will be supported by many famous retailers Austin Reed whose own heritage dates back to the same period as our veteran cars on display. Regent Street will be closed all day – with shops open until 10.00pm. The main attraction will be a display of iconic vehicles to celebrate the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries of motoring. Joining the 100 pre-1905 vehicles in the prestigious EFG International Concours d’Elegance will be low energy use vehicles as they arrive from Brighton having completed the RAC Future Car Challenge – some of these will not have been seen on UK roads before. There will also be a display of beautiful cars owned by Royal Automobile Club members including Bentleys, Aston Martins and Lotuses. For this year there is a new Manufacturer Zone where the latest models will be presented by Vauxhall and Renault.

Summary of what’s on show:

• 125 years of motoring in one street separated into 5 distinct zones;
• Veteran Motoring – over 100 magnificent machines from pre-1905 era showing the earliest in pioneering motoring ahead of the traditional London to Brighton Veteran Car Run;
• Exhibition Area – stands from our sponsors, partners and associates, see the latest in EV charging from British Gas, learn more about RAC Motoring Services and the work brands are doing in new automotive technology;
• Feature Display – celebrating ‘Best of British’ cars from the last 60 years to commemorate the Queen”s Diamond Jubilee;
• Manufacturer Zone – see the latest EV, Hybrid, E-REV and low emission cars from leading car makers;
• RAC Future Car Challenge Cars – see the latest technology and prototype cars that have completed the event;
• Ceremonial FINISH line of the 2012 RAC Future Car Challenge; and
• LIVE area – test drive the latest technology cars on a 1 mile test drive route.

There will be plenty to interest all the family.  As well as passenger rides in ‘future’ cars, members of the public can challenge the former Stig (from the BBC series Top Gear) in an inter-active quiz on the British Gas stand. On the RAC stand they can ‘drive’ an ECO simulator, be photographed with a Lewis Hamilton lookalike and have the chance of winning a true classic British car – a 1969 MGB Roadster

The main stage will be packed with celebrity interviews and entertainment and hosted by TV presenter, Louise Goodman. The celebrities on hand will include Red Dwarf actor and green car ambassador Robert Llewellyn, Smooth Radio DJ Mark Goodier, Team GB swimmer Ross Davenport and Land Speed Record holder Don Wales (the British Gas team taking part in the RAC Future Car Challenge), TV presenter and former Strictly Come Dancing Contestant Kate Silverton and (on the Vauxhall stand) TV presenter and motoring expert Quentin Willson.

During the 60-year reign of Her Majesty the Queen, many iconic cars were made – including the Aston Martin DB9, the Jaguar E-Type, the Mini, the Lotus Elan, McLaren F1 and the Ford Cortina (which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year). To find the UK’s favourite British car of this period, Dennis the publisher of Octane, Evo and Auto Express magazines has launched an online poll, where you can cast your vote! Visit: www.evo.co.uk/FavouriteBritishCarSurvey

All vehicles featured in the poll will be displayed on Regent Street, with the nation’s favourite car unveiled by Coronation Street and Hollyoaks actor, Tony Hirst. One lucky person chosen at random from those who voted for the highest-polled car will be treated to a special VIP day at the Regent Street Motor Show.

On hand at the Regent Street Motor Show will be Race2Recovery and their British rally raid car the Qt Wildcat 500DKR. As featured on BBC Top Gear, Race2Recovery will be the first team of predominantly injured servicemen to complete the formidable Dakar Rally in South America in January 2013 in support of the Tedworth House Recovery Centre based in Wiltshire (a Help for Heroes project).

All members of team have been wounded in combat have a huge variety of injuries; some more apparent than others, but each person has had their life completely changed. Be it missing limbs, spinal and respiratory injuries, to psychological and fragmentation injuries, each has set out to prove that their injury will not stop them completing the toughest race on the planet and in turn want to inspire those who are injured, disabled or facing adversity. http://www.race2recovery.com/

For further details visit: http://www.regentstreetmotorshow.com/