10 new classic car events in 2026

By Ryan Standen

| 29 Dec 2025

There are plenty of staple events on the classic car calendar, from the Goodwood Revival and London to Brighton Veteran Car Run to the Nürburgring’s Oldtimer-Grand Prix and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in the USA.

Even relative newcomers like the Festival of the Unexceptional and Bicester Motion’s Sunday Scrambles are more than a decade old.

So instead, let’s check out some gatherings that are taking place for the first time in 2026.

Classic & Sports Car’s list of 10 of the newest classic car events is presented in chronological order – and with destinations across the UK, USA and Europe, we hope there’s something for a lot of you to enjoy.

For more inspiration, head to our regularly updated classic events calendar, here.

1. Anantara Concorso Roma

When: 16-19 April 2026

Where: Anantara Palazzo Naiadi, Rome, Italy

The first Anantara Concorso Roma was set to take place in Italy’s capital city in April 2025, but it was postponed due to the death of Pope Francis.

It’s billed as a celebration of la dolce vita, or ‘the sweet life’, with a 70-strong line-up of Italian classic cars including Alfa Romeos, Ferraris, Lancias and more – plus a focus on the country’s culinary delights.

The panel of judges, who will award the event’s inaugural Best of Show trophy, includes Dr Adolfo Orsi Jnr, whose father owned Maserati from the late 1930s to the ’60s.

Festivities will take place outside the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi hotel, in the Piazza della Repubblica, in the centre of Rome.

For full details, click here.

2. Cavallino Classic Monaco

When: 23-26 April 2026

Where: Yacht Club de Monaco, Monaco

The first-ever concours dedicated to Ferrari Formula One cars will take place in Monaco.

Cavallino Classic Monaco, which coincides with the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, will welcome some of the marque’s greatest single-seaters.

Expect front-engined pioneers from the 1950s, turbocharged icons from the ’80s, V12-powered screamers from the ’90s and some 21st-century greats, too.

And they won’t be constrained to a show field, either: lots of the F1 cars will also lap the world-famous street circuit, which will sound brilliant.

When the cars aren’t tackling the 2-mile track, they’ll be on display around the Yacht Club de Monaco’s marina.

For full details, click here.

3. Touring Car Rewind North

When: 16 May 2026

Where: Oulton Park, Cheshire, UK

The Classic Touring Car Racing Club will bring tin-top competition from yesteryear to Oulton Park in Cheshire, UK, in May 2026.

Touring Car Rewind North will be a one-day celebration of the sport’s history, featuring Group A icons like the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS 500 and 1960s legends, such as Lotus Cortinas, Minis and more.

Plus, the club’s Super Tourers grid will pit period-correct 1990s racers – including Nissan Primeras, Honda Accords, Renault Lagunas and Audi A4s – against each other on the challenging, 2.69-mile International circuit.

What’s more, there will be a second meeting, Touring Car Rewind South, at Brands Hatch in Kent from 1-2 August 2026 – so that’s a bonus event for you!

For full details, click here.

4. London Historic Trophy

When: 19-21 June 2026

Where: Brands Hatch, Kent, UK

Pre-war sports cars, 1960s GTs, historic tin-tops and more will do battle at Brands Hatch in June 2026.

This brand-new race meeting, organised by Motor Racing Legends, will also commemorate the Kent circuit’s centenary.

Brands Hatch was a mushroom field before it started holding races for cyclists and cross-country runners in 1926. It soon began hosting motorcycle competitions and, after WW2, four-wheeled machines, too – including Formula One cars.

The 2.4-mile Grand Prix and 1.2-mile Indy layouts will be used during the London Historic Trophy weekend.

There will also be a round of Motor Racing Legends’ Generations Trophy, a contest for MGBs piloted by two-driver teams made up of family members from different generations.

For full details, click here.

5. Longleat Motor Show Weekender

When: 27-28 June 2026

Where: Longleat, Wiltshire, UK

There’s an all-new classic car show in 2026 coming to the grounds of Longleat House, a 16th-century stately home that first opened its doors to the public in 1949.

The event, organised in partnership with Masters of Motoring and Great British Motor Shows, will include displays of classic road, rally and racing cars.

It will pay tribute to the estate’s motorsport heritage (Longleat hosted stages of the original Lombard RAC Rally during the 1980s) with live demonstrations courtesy of Lombard Rally.

The Wiltshire park is most famous for its drive-through safari, which opened in 1966; the Motor Show Weekender will mark the attraction’s 60th anniversary with special celebrations.

For full details, click here.

6. Le Mans Classic Legend

When: 2-5 July 2026

Where: Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France

The first Le Mans Classic took place in 2002, so it’s by no means a ‘new’ event.

However, the once-biennial French meeting – one of the biggest and most popular historic motorsport events in the world – becomes an annual gathering from 2026. But there’s a twist…

There are now two versions of the event, taking place on alternate years: Le Mans Classic Legend, for endurance racers from 1972-2015, and Le Mans Classic Heritage, a celebration of machines from 1923-’75.

The new format kicks off in July 2026 with the first Le Mans Classic Legend.

Relive battles such as Porsche 911 GT1 vs Mercedes-Benz CLK LM, Renault-Alpine A442 vs Porsche 936 and Aston Martin DBR9 vs Chevrolet Corvette C6.R.

For full details, click here.

7. National Motor Museum Pre-1940s Car Rally

When: 26-31 July 2026

Where: Hampshire to West Yorkshire, UK

Pre-war classic cars will drive hundreds of miles from the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, to Bowcliffe Hall in Bramham, West Yorkshire, during this new, six-day Pre-1940s Car Rally.

The cars will gather at Beaulieu on 26 July, ready for The Grand Departure on 27 July.

They’ll stop at Boscombe Down Aviation Collection in Wiltshire, the Great Central Railway of Nottingham museum and more as they wind their way across England to Bowcliffe Hall, where they’ll join the Masters of Motoring show on 30 July.

If you have an eligible vehicle, you can take part for £3995 plus VAT. Alternatively, wave the convoy off from the National Motor Museum, or greet them at Bowcliffe Hall.

For full details, click here.

8. Grand Prix Centenary at Brooklands

When: 8 August 2026

Where: Brooklands Museum, Surrey, UK

The Brooklands circuit opened in 1907. It was the world’s second-ever race track and became the scene of some of early motorsport’s greatest battles.

It also hosted Britain’s first Grand Prix event: the 1926 Grand Prix of the Royal Automobile Club was held on 7 August and it was won by Louis Wagner and Robert Sénéchal driving a Delage.

In 2026, Brooklands Museum will mark the occasion with this Grand Prix Centenary meeting. There will be a line-up of Grand Prix machines, track demonstrations, engine start-ups and more.

Entry to the event includes admission to the site’s brilliant museum, where you’ll find pioneering record-breakers, Concorde, F1 cars, vintage buses and much more.

For full details, click here.

9. Techno Classica Salon

When: 24-27 September 2026

Where: Messe Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany

The first Techno Classica Essen took place in 1989, but the show has been revamped for 2026 – and it has a new home and a new name. Techno Classica Salon will be in Dortmund, Germany.

It will fall later in the classic car calendar, too, moving from its traditional springtime slot to September.

The show will take over 50,000m² of the Messe Dortmund exhibition centre, where visitors can expect around 1250 exhibitors from 30 nations, 200-plus clubs and thousands of classic cars.

Classic car clubs are at the heart of this massive German show and the best stands will compete against each other in the Club Grand Prix. Who will take the trophy home in 2026?

For full details, click here.

10. Rétromobile New York

When: 19-22 November 2026

Where: Javits Center, New York, USA

Rétromobile is going Stateside in 2026! Following the 50th edition of the huge Parisian show from 28 January-1 February 2026, the French extravaganza will spawn an American sibling in New York in November.

Rétromobile New York will take place in the Javits Center on Eleventh Avenue. Collectors, restorers, artists and thousands of enthusiasts from across the world are expected to be there.

Details about specific cars, themes and exhibitions will be revealed in the coming months.

The four-day event will also include a Gooding Christie’s sale, so keep an eye on the auction house’s website, here, to find out what classic cars will cross the block in Manhattan.

For full details, click here.

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