Finalists in the 2025 Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards are revealed…
and the big night is just weeks away
The Royal Automobile Club is preparing to celebrate the stars of Britain’s historic motoring and motorsport worlds at its seventh annual Historic Awards. And the winners will finally be revealed at a glittering celebration in Pall Mall, London on Thursday, 20 November.
These Awards are important accolades for Britain’s thriving historic car industry in its widest sense and are overseen by independent specialist judges.
Each judge is chosen for their knowledge and experience in their particular award category. Now they have done their expert work for 2025, scrutinising the long list of very strong nominations which were received this year. After much debate and reflection, the finalists have now been chosen; all the judges now have to do is to whittle those shortlists down to the eventual winners!
The 2025 Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards finalists are:
Competitive Event (supported by Piper-Heidsieck)
- Equipe 6 Hour
- International McRae Rally Challenge
- Silverstone Festival
Innovation (supported by Federation Skills Trust and SUSTAIN)
- Bridge Classic Cars Kids
- Equipe Super Sprint
- ifindautoparts
Motoring Spectacle (supported by RM Sotheby’s)
- The Royal Tunbridge Wells Festival of Motoring
- Salon Privé
- The Jim Clark Trust celebration of Jim Clark’s 1965 season
Museums & Collections (supported by Lockton)
- British Motor Museum
- Great British Car Journey
- Haynes Motor Museum
Outstanding Journalism (presented by the Royal Automobile Club)
- Giles Chapman – Ernie Unger (The Automobile)
- Dan Cogger – Lucky Number 13 (The Automobile)
- Jon Pressnell – 100 MG Marque-defining Moments (Octane)
Personal Endeavour (supported by Motul)
- Tania Brown
- Julian Grimwade
- Mark Reber
Restoration (supported by Bicester Motion)
- 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C ‘Boulogne’ – Jonathan Wood Ltd
- 1926 Rally Grand Sport Type S – David Foster/Bob Thredder
- 1953 Jaguar C-type – Anthony Purnell, Pendine Historic Cars & CKL Developments
Young Achiever (supported by StarterMotor)
- Will Marsh
- Jack Rawles
- Samantha Ruff
“The Club has been recognising achievement for over 125 years, and these Awards continue that proud tradition by celebrating the hidden talents within the historic vehicle scene,” said Jeremy Vaughan, Head of Motoring for the Royal Automobile Club. “There’s so much inspiring work taking place, and we’re here to celebrate — and reward — the most inspirational people.”
“We do this, of course, by bringing everyone together in London for a very special evening. But we also engage a remarkable team of independent judges to help us identify the leading candidates and assess the finalists. It’s quite a process, but this kind of event is the lifeblood of the Club — it builds on our unique heritage of recognising and supporting British achievement.”
The judging process
While in most categories the rigorous judging process takes place at a desk, for some of the categories it’s a little more hands-on. The Restoration jury members are currently preparing for a day at Bicester Motion, at which they will examine all three finalists in great detail, quizzing the restorers and owners before choosing their winner. Meanwhile, the Museums & Collections panel are hitting the road to visit the three finalist institutions before picking their winner.
This year’s Lead Judges are Sarah Bennett-Baggs (Editor, Auto Addicts and an active historic motorsport competitor), Alastair Clements (Editor-in-Chief, Classic & Sports Car), Steve Cropley (Editor-in-Chief, Autocar), Vanessa Marçais (historic motorsport organiser), Lizzie Pope (Associate Editor, Classic & Sports Car), Simon Taylor (journalist, author, former publisher, motor racing commentator and car collector), Ian Titchmarsh (motorsport commentator and Trustee of Silverstone Heritage) and Allan Winn (director and former CEO of Brooklands Museum).
Celebrating excellence
On 20 November, at the Royal Automobile Club on Pall Mall, London, Formula 1 presenter Lee McKenzie will host the Historic Awards, at which the Club will reveal the eight category winners and also present the Royal Automobile Club Lifetime Achievement Award. This celebrates an individual who has made a truly outstanding contribution to British motoring and/or motorsport heritage over many decades, and remains a secret until the night itself.
Tickets are now available for this very special evening.
A history of celebrating excellence
Since their inception in 2019, the Awards have highlighted a remarkable range of individuals, institutions, events and achievements, underlining the breadth of the historic motoring world. The Awards extend the Club’s 127-year pedigree in recognising motoring accomplishments through its trophies and medals.
For further information and to purchase tickets for the Awards dinner, please visit royalautomobileclubhistoricawards.co.uk.
