Lost to the showrooms – The 10 car brands that live on at the 2024 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional

Hagerty’s world-renowned Festival of the Unexceptional celebrates its 10-year anniversary at Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire on Saturday 27th July, with thousands of mundane motors on display, and a Concours de l’Ordinaire selection of the UK’s rarest ordinary cars.

Festival of the Unexceptional is the only event where guests can enjoy rare survivors of brands that used to be seen every day but are now consigned to the history books. That is thanks to the thousands of FOTU fans who work hard to keep these most mundane of motors alive – long after the manufacturers have disappeared from the showrooms.

Here are ten buried brands to look out for at the 2024 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional:

Austin – Herbert Austin founded his eponymous car company in 1905 and the Austin name was quietly dropped for good in 1988.

• Last car produced: Austin Montego
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Austin Metro

Daihatsu – Japan’s Daihatsu made its first engine in 1907 and, in 2013, Daihatsu made the decision to withdraw from Europe.

• Last car produced: Daihatsu Sirion
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Daihatsu Charade

Datsun – Datsun’s roots can be traced to 1911 with the first DAT car being produced in 1914, however the Datsun name was phased out in favour of Nissan from the early 1980s.

• Last Car: Datsun Micra
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Datsun Cherry

Daewoo – Originally established in 1937, Daewoo entered the UK market full of promise in 1995, before going bust in 2002.

• Last Car: Daewoo Matiz
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Daewoo Espero

Lancia – An illustrious history that began in 1906 came to a grinding halt, in the UK at least, in 1993, but there is a chance that a newly-electrified Lancia could return to the UK in the future.

• Last Car: Lancia Delta
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Lancia Beta

Morris – William Richard Morris started WRM Morris Ltd in Oxford in 1912, and the Morris name disappeared when the last Ital was produced in 1984.

• Last Car: Morris Metro van
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Morris Marina

Mitsubishi – The Mitsubishi automotive arm was established in 1970 and, despite being an early adopter of hybrid technology in family cars it closed for business (in the UK) in 2021.

• Last Car: Mitsubishi Outlander
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Mitsubishi Colt

Rover – Rover built cars from 1904 and was eventually sold to BMW – who then famously sold out to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000 for a single pound. Overambition and financial mismanagement saw production end in 2005.

• Last Car: Rover 75
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Rover 200 Series (SD3 model)

Triumph – In 1921 Triumph acquired the Dawson Car Company and built its first four-wheeler and the brand was acquired by Leyland in 1960. The final vehicle to bear the name was a badge-engineered Honda, the Acclaim in 1981.

• Last Car: Triumph Acclaim
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Triumph Acclaim

Yugo – In 1980 the Yugo was born as a reworked 128, and a UK importer was found in 1981. However, as the wars of Yugoslav succession unfolded, exports halted, and the UK operation was closed in 1993.

• Last Car: Yugo Zastava Koral
• Car most likely to be seen at FOTU: Yugo 45

The 2024 Festival of the Unexceptional will be the most entertaining ever, with a spectacular schedule of activities on the main stage and in the glorious grounds of the Castle. New for 2024 is an earlier opening time with gates opening at 7.30 am, and the first 50 arrivals will receive a special Festival Birthday surprise.

To participate in this packed programme enthusiasts are encouraged to grab the last remaining tickets here. The entry price of £35 is per car, so if you can pack a Previa that’s just £7 per person for a full day’s fun.