By Jamie McTavish, Car Club Manager for Lancaster Insurance

It was a fantastic location, fantastic weather and we were treated to more than our fair share of fantastic Fords at International Ford Day, held at Sandown Park, London, from Saturday 30th April - Sunday 1st May.

Whether you’re into classic Fords or not you couldn’t help but be impressed by the array of vehicles on show at this event – the very first International Ford Day, staged in the beautiful grounds of Sandown Park Race Course.

Highlights included several five windowed model ‘A’ hot rods, some group B RS200 rally cars, vast American Ford Rancheros and even David Beckham’s enormous Special Edition Ford Pickup, with lots of attention deservedly going to the two rare Crayford Cortinas, full racing Mk1 Mustangs and ultra-rare Farnham Zodiac Estates – not to mention an insanely modified Ford Anglia!

There were also transits in every guise under the sun; - to the extent that even the mobile presentation stage was built out of a Mk 1 transit van.

Celebrity TV presenters Ant Anstead and Tiff Needell kept audiences entertained with their recollections of antics both on and off the track as well as some rather memorable moments on TV.

Ant’s Ford Mexico, which was recently restored on his TV show for the Love of Classics was also on show looking resplendent – a car that was all the more appreciated when Ant described the amount of work and effort that went into rebuilding her.

For those rebuilding cars of their own the auto jumble and trade stands provided an invaluable source of rare and elusive parts.

Lancaster Insurance were ever present and supporting the event, answering questions and queries in respect of Classic Car Insurance for first time classic car owners as well as multi car policies for the more established & long term collectors.

Love of the Common People

The one thing that made this event extra special for me was the camaraderie between all the different groups catered for under the Ford Banner - from Commercial to Concourse, taking in customisers & club racers, American, British, Australian and even Spanish & Portuguese variants.

The rare one offs and the everyday drivers were out in force, and as with all things Ford, everyone is equal. Although some cars are more equal than others!

Everyone at the event was welcomed with open arms -  no matter what Ford they owned or what state it was in, which made for a truly exceptional event and one that will undoubtedly become a very special weekend on any Ford enthusiasts calendar.