Last year, I stumbled into something rather wonderful. I was lured by the promise of free entry and the chance to gawk at some early 20th-century engineering — so I ambled over to Pall Mall and found myself in the middle of the St James’s Motoring Spectacle. And I’m thrilled to report: it’s back again this November, and yes, I’ll be going.
On Saturday 1st November 2025, central London will once again shut down one of its grandest avenues — not for a royal procession, but for a celebration of motoring that spans centuries. Veteran cars with tiller steering, bonnet mascots, and brass fittings polished to perfection will sit happily beside the kind of hypercars that wouldn’t look out of place in a Ridley Scott film. All parked up and glinting in the (hopefully) autumn sun.
Organised by the Royal Automobile Club — the same chaps behind the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run — the Spectacle feels like a kind of joyful warm-up for Sunday’s historic drive to the coast. And that’s part of the charm. Many of the pre-1905 cars you’ll see on Saturday will be rumbling (and chuffing and hissing) out of Hyde Park the next morning. But here, they’re still in place, on parade, with their drivers dressed in Edwardian tweed, cranking engines and fielding questions from awestruck kids and intrigued passersby.
It’s not all nostalgia though. There’s something satisfyingly eclectic about seeing a 1903 De Dion Bouton rubbing shoulders with a 2025 Rimac Nevera, or a hydrogen concept car parked next to an Austin 7. There’s a strong future-facing slant to the event too, with clean-tech exhibitors, career stands aimed at young visitors, and a subtle sense that motoring is once again at a crossroads.
Duncan Wiltshire, who chairs the Royal Automobile Club, called last year’s event a “triumph on so many fronts” — and I’d agree. It was elegant but accessible, educational without being dry, and wonderfully weird in the way only British motoring culture can be.
This year promises to build on that foundation with more local involvement, more vehicles, and a deeper dive into the “timeline” of motoring. As before, there’ll be the St James’s Concours — effectively a beauty pageant for the veterans — and an expert judging panel that includes TV gardener and classic car buff Alan Titchmarsh.
For someone who mostly splits his time between flying machines, motorbikes and old cars, this is catnip. And the best bit? It’s free. You just show up, weave your way down a traffic-free Pall Mall, and soak in the sight of machines that span over a hundred years of design, innovation and, occasionally, outright madness.
If you’re the sort who enjoys the smell of old petrol, or the silent glide of electric power, or even just the excuse to stand near something rare and mechanical while holding a coffee and nodding appreciatively—put this in your diary.
I’ll be there, camera in hand, grinning like an idiot. See you on the Mall.