Highlights from Knebworth Classic Car Show 2023

This beautiful Jaguar E-Type instantly drew my attention, especially in this light blue colour. 1/3200s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

As I am normally away over the August bank holiday, I hadn’t been to the Knebworth Classic Car Show until this year, despite it being close to where I live. But that is exactly why I needed to make the effort to go this year as I am trying to find a greater range of cars to shoot locally to save me travelling long distances for work. There’s always the added bonus of seeing a grand old house that has served as the backdrop for many films and TV shows, including as Wayne Manor in Tim Burton’s and Michael Keaton’s Batman films.

The grand majesty of Knebworth House, which plays host to the event. 1/1600s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.

The event was well attended, aided by good weather. 1/1600s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

A colourful line-up of minis. 1/2500s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

The Van Cave, sadly I wasn’t allowed in. 1/1600s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

Lining up the top cars in the arena. 1/1600s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

The layout for the show is much the same as other summer shows. Cars are parked up in a big grass field, some of which under club banners and stands and others dotted about based on when they arrived and who their friends are. Car related bits can be picked up at market stools and there’s food on sale for those who’ve forgotten their packed lunch. Two tickets were available, one that gets you into the show and the house gardens and another more expensive ticket that gets you into the house as well. Both are good value for money in comparison to many other shows and manor houses in and around London.

The Mustang stand was not something that could be ignored. 1/1600s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64 two photo panorama.

A Nissan Cedric that was once used by Nissan UK to drive around VIPs from Japan. 1/2000s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

Despite so many being produced in the past, classic Vauxhalls are becoming a real rarity. 1/2500s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

This unusual Matford looked impressive with its copper paintwork. 1/2000s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

It wouldn’t be a classic Jaguar if it wasn’t lavished with wood inside. 1/500s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

Ultimately, I did my usual routine, I wandered around chatting to people and seeing if there were cars of interest that I could potentially have featured in magazines. I must admit I didn’t push myself too hard, but I also wanted to just enjoy my day out on a bank holiday rather than remain heavily focused on work. I did have an hour at the end of the day to walk around the gardens which I would recommend doing, there’s a lovely mixture of horticulture and also large statues of dinosaurs to keep the kids entertained.

This Broward County sheriff car was a long way from home. 1/2000s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

It still had the original computer to run all the police software. Though unfortunately he doesn’t have access to the passwords to use them. 1/500s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

A Vauxhall Victor draws in admirers. 1/2500s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

One of the oldest cars on the day was this Ford Model T. 1/1000s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64.

A really suped up Peugeot 205 with original Dimma bodykit to make it more closely match the legendary T16 rally car. This car has also has some engine upgrades to reach a mighty 400bhp. A serious amount for a car that weighs less than a tonne! 1/640s 105mm F1.4 ISO 64

If you’ve never been before and live locally then it would be a no brainer to attend next year, there’s a great range of classics and if you have a classic car to display your ticket is also a lot cheaper. Perhaps I’ll have to do that next year. With no focus on one particular marque, shows like these also have a great element of serendipity, as you often find something you haven’t seen before or haven’t seen in a long time. Thankfully we were blessed with good weather this year, let’s hope it is the same in 2024.

Heading into the house gardens are also well worthwhile. 1/160s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.

Dinosaurs will keep the kids entertained, whether they are big or small! 1/100s 58mm F1.4 ISO 80.

Hiding carefully behind a tree, I managed to safely capture this photo of the Tyrannosaurus Rex without drawing it’s attention. 1/100s 58mm F1.4 ISO 160.

My very own Peugeot 205 outside Knebworth House. 1/500s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.

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