Friday, 15th of August — all roads, at least for car lovers, led to Farnborough, a quiet Hampshire town better known for its airshow. But for one weekend it was cars, not planes, that took over. The 5th anniversary of the British Motor Show rolled into town with Car Sales Website Carzoo as headline sponsor, joined by Bridgestone, Kwik Fit, Draper, Nation Radio, Lego and even the British Army.
You could feel the buzz on entry into the city. The attendants at the Farnborough Train stations were directing visitors onto shuttle buses, the roads had more than usual activity, and local cafés and pubs buzzed with families in branded lanyards. This is how tourism works at its best: foot traffic that turns into revenue, and a quiet town briefly transformed by movement.
The doors to the show opened at 10 a.m. and nostalgia hit first — a line-up of nine classics including a DeLorean DMC, a vintage Land Rover, and a Volkswagen beetle straight out of a 70s postcard. It set the tone perfectly: a nod to the past before throwing you into everything motoring has become.
Just before the entrance, Tesla , BYD and Ford invited visitors to sign up for test drives around the venue. Ford had their electric vehicle offerings front and centre. A clever, immersive way to remind people that cars are meant to be experienced, not just admired. The British Army rolled in their armoured vehicles, a heavy contrast to the showroom gloss but no less fascinating.
By Saturday and Sunday, the venue was packed, families filling every corner. The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team drew huge crowds with two simulators that gave you a taste — or at least the illusion — of what it feels like to be in an F1 cockpit. Elsewhere, the Lego stage balanced fun with substance, hosting chats about careers in automotive alongside influencer Yanni’s celebrity session. Motoring legends Tim Shaw and Fuzz Townshend kept things lively, proving that car culture is as much about conversation as combustion. And Lego pulled off their own genius stunt: a life-size Lego McLaren! At first glance, most people thought it was a working car. (Whispers: it wasn’t.)
And then came the cars that demanded their own spotlight. TV presenter Marty McAnn stole the show when he turned up in his £300,000 KTM X-Bow and actually took it onto the track for a drag run. The crowd gasped when they learned the car had no mirrors — just cameras — and that even getting in and out felt more like boarding a fighter jet than stepping into a car. On land, it’s as close as you’ll get.
The Haynes Museum stand also drew plenty of attention. Their display ranged from the quirky Microlino concept car— essentially a covered two-seater scooter — to a 2019 Honda Civic FK8 Type R, shown half-complete with its skeleton exposed for all to see. It was engineering laid bare, equal parts classroom and showroom.
On the Tesla stand, the Robotaxi was the crown jewel. Not expected in the UK until 2027, it drew constant crowds eager to peek at a future where cars drive themselves. For many, it was less a concept and more a countdown.The reps at the tesla stand fielded questions from attendees.
Out on the track, the Supercar Paddock did what it does best: let owners unleash their machines. Think of any faster supercar, whatever comes to mind? There was at least one of it in the brightest primary colours. Because really, what’s the point of owning a supercar if you don’t drive it? The supercars also had a drag race display on the main tracks. The British Army staged a parachute display, Bridgestone and Kwik Fit lit up the drift arena with sideways heroics, and each evening closed with the Strongman Truck Pull — raw muscle dragging raw horsepower.
Personally, my highlights were in the quieter exchanges: conversations with car owners reminding me that no two stories are ever the same, even when the cars are. One father in his sixties walked the vintage section with his thirty-something son; the dad obsessed with classics and bikes, the son more into gaming and tech. Different worlds, same passion. Later I watched another father and his 17-year-old son compete in a drift challenge together, a perfect picture of passing the flame.
And then there were the children — phones and cameras in hand, tugging at parents’ sleeves, documenting every bonnet and badge. A glimpse into the future of motoring culture: wide-eyed, curious, and already in love.
By the time the weekend closed, with hosts like Iwan Thomas, Sam Hard, Bobbie Pryor, Grace Webb and Paul Cowland steering the programme, Farnborough had been fully claimed by cars. And the families, communities and stories that came with them.
Was it worth it? Absolutely! Would I go again? YES! The British Motor Show 2025 proved something simple but vital: motoring isn’t just about machines. It’s about the lives we build around them. See you next year.
