Alan Titchmarsh MBE – the well known gardener, novelist and television broadcaster – will present the coveted prizes for this year’s International Concours d’Elegance at the Regent Street Motor Show on November 3.
Though he’s best-known for presenting hugely popular TV programmes such as Gardeners’ World, Ground Force and Love Your Garden, Titchmarsh is also a renowned classic car enthusiast. His first was a 1928 Morris Cowley, and today he owns a 1929 Bentley Le Mans 4.5-litre and a fully restored 1963 Jaguar E-Type.
The 69-year-old Yorkshireman joined the International Concours d’Elegance judging panel in 2017 and this year will be presenting the seven category winners – and overall winner – with their prizes. He will also be part of the judging panel again, alongside fellow TV personality Edd China.
Prizes will be awarded for a number of categories including Best Period Motoring Attire, the Best Original/ Unrestored Veteran Car, the Judges’ Overseas Award and, of course, the International Concours d’Elegance Overall winner. There’s also a public vote for the Spectators’ Choice Award. “It’s a magical occasion,” says Titchmarsh, who will be handing out the prizes between 2.45pm and 3.15pm.
“Seeing all these wonderful machines dating back to the dawn of motoring and learning about their amazing life stories from highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic owners is just a fantastic experience. Selecting just a handful for the awards is by no means an easy task but it will be an honour to present the awards ceremony to those selected by the judging panel, many of whom are widely recognised as the leading authorities on all things veteran car-related.”
The Regent Street Motor Show acts as a curtain-raiser to the following day’s staging of the famous Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. It’s free to attend, and attracted more than 520,000 visitors last November.
