Author: Nik Berg
Photography: Hagerty
Simon Packowski drove 1,000 miles to collect a pair of headrests for his 1992 Skoda Favorit Forum, showing truly exceptional dedication to his very unexceptional Czech hatchback.
The start of Packowski’s journey began after he spotted the Skoda on Facebook marketplace where it was essentially being sold for scrap thanks to a failed head gasket.
“I loved the colour when I first set eyes on it,” he said. “The condition was amazing and it was a base model. I love base model boxy cars and so I had to have it.”
Although he might be crazy for the Czech brand he wasn’t quite mad enough to drive the Skoda Favorit, which doesn’t even have a radio, on the mega-mile quest for the right head restraints, taking his first car, a 1996 Felicia, instead.
It was, however, the Favorit, that Packowski brought to Grimsthorpe Castle to take part in the 2025 Festival of the Unexceptional’s Concours d’Ordinaire, alongside 40-odd other mundane motors from the 70s, 80s, 90s and the start of the millennium.
The judging panel of Steve Cropley, Andrew Frankel, Richard Bremner, Jesse Billington, Sarah Crabtree, Gary Axon, and Jon Bentley were so taken with the 22-year-old’s Favorit and his youthful enthusiasm for the car that they awarded him first prize in the Concours. It wasn’t just the judges that that favoured the Skoda Favorit, with the FOTU’s attendees also giving it the people’s choice award.
As always it’s the people that make FOTU such a special event. Unlike other classic car shows the focus is on inclusivity not exclusivity and the fans and cars that come are always incredibly diverse.
“I think you could argue that it’s the youngest profile of any car show,” explained Cropley. “The trouble with most old car events is that the cars are all owned by old people who are trying to guard their value. Half the time the owners are scared of the value and it’s not about the pleasure of car ownership at all. The folks here have bought them because they love them, but they can afford them. This is real, and as soon as you see cars start to arrive here it just makes you feel better.”
Saving cars from the scraphead seemed to be a favourite (Favorit?) theme with the judges who awarded second place to Callum Bailey and his 1999 Ford Mondeo. He first spotted the car on a truck, on its way to becoming a banger racer. He managed to persuade the owner to sell to him for £700 and then spent an astonishing £6,000 on restoring the repmobile to its motorway-munching glory days.
In third place was Andy Smith with his Citröen Visa Club which also looked just as good as the day its tiny 2CV twin-cylinder engine first putt-putted into life in 1979.
Special mentions went to Lucas Split for his Talbot Solara (and his 1,000-mile drive to FOTU), Paul Frost’s Bedford Rascal van, Matthew Coleman and his Rover 214Si and Jason Crawley for his Citröen Berlingo van. Glyn Hayler was also awarded a rosette for his Fiat Multipla, so perhaps his wife will no longer wear a paper bag over her head when they go out in what many describe as the world’s ugliest car.
One final award was given by the British Motor Museum who picked Stephen Tearl’s Nissan Micra 1.0 Celebration to celebrate – a car which has been in the family since new. The museum team brought along a selection of rare British Leyland prototypes. In this multiverse the 1969 Mini 9X, 1981 BL ECV3 and 1975 Triumph SD2 could all have been future FOTU stars.
New for the festival’s 11th year was a FOTU For Sale area where visitors could browse and barter on a selection of cars from a Renault 4-based convertible kit car to a Saab 9000 and a Metro. Alongside this Anglia Auctions displayed two likely candidates for next year’s Concours d’Ordinaire – a 2002 Ford Fiesta Flight with only 235 miles on the clock and a 1988 Mazda 323 Javelin with one lady owner.
The main stage saw a return of Smith and Sniff to record a live (and very lively) podcast and host a variety of car-related quizzes and games, accompanied by the inevitable chants of “Faaaawds!” from the audience. There was live music, too, and Charlotte Vowden hosting a number of fascinating discussions.
Beyond the main Concours area row upon row of unexceptional (and a decent number of actually exceptional cars) filled the expansive lawns of the castle grounds. Around 1,200 mundane motors and their awesome owners braved the traditional British weather, alternating between umbrellas and T-shirts, raising and lowering convertible tops and drying off bodywork.
Some sheltered in the Hagerty Drivers Club tent, making good use of their memberships, others even brought their own pop-up tents to keep the rain and sun off, during the biggest FOTU to date.
“Festival of the Unexceptional continues to grow bigger with every year,” Mark Roper, Managing Director of classic car insurance provider, Hagerty. “Over the past 11 years we have seen FOTU-era cars become recognised as proper classic cars, and the younger owner demographic shows this is a new movement in car culture. Hagerty is proud to be at the forefront of this and, with events like The Amelia and Motorlux in our portfolio, it perfectly demonstrates how Hagerty works hard to delight all classic vehicle enthusiasts, whatever they drive.”
Have you seen another Skoda Favorit like this? Think your car could make the winning lineup next year? Let us know in the comments.
