A 1992 Skoda Favorit has won the 2025 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional (FOTU).
The 11th running of the FOTU held at Grimsthorpe Castle and 22-year old Simon Packowski took home the top honours in the Concour de l’Ordinaire with his Favorit that was described as ‘so basic it doesn’t even have a radio.’
Simon rescued the car, which was about to be scrapped for a failed head gasket, and brought it back to its former glory, once driving 1000 miles to buy a set of original headrests.
His dedication paid off when the Skoda was also voted the People’s Choice Award winner at FOTU.
Second place went to Callum Bailey and his 1999 Ford Mondeo, while the 1979 Citroen Visa of Andy Smith took third spot.
The judges also gave special mentions to Lucas Split for his Talbot Solara, not least for his 1000-mile road trip to get to the 2025 Festival of the Unexceptional. Glyn Hayler was commended for his Fiat Multipla, Paul Frost for his Bedford Rascal, Matthew Coleman for his Rover 214si and Jason Crawley for his immaculate Citroen Berlingo van.
Mark Roper, Managing Director of Hagerty International, said: ‘Festival of the Unexceptional continues to grow every year. 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.’
