The hottest new cars, head-spinning drift stunts, and a celebration of our female car enthusiasts - it’s all going off at this year’s British Motor Show 2024.
The annual extravaganza rolls into the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, Hampshire, on August 15th and encompasses four days of family fun.
There are live arenas, Guinness World Record attempts, driving experiences, celebs on stage and countless vehicles on display, from iconic classics to sumptuous supercars.
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And we’ve got an exclusive discount for Select Car Leasing readers. Simply head to the British Motor Show online ticket website and use the code ‘Select24’ at checkout.
You’ll instantly get £5 off any ticket (excluding single child tickets).
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So, what’s new for 2024? And what is there to get excited about?
To find out, we sat down with Andy Entwistle, Chief Executive of Automotion Events and the man behind the British Motor Show.
These are his Top 5 highlights:
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Brand-new cars to drool over - including the updated Ford Mustang
The British Motor Show is the place to be if you want to get up close and personal with new cars before (obviously) you lease one with Select.
The new and improved Ford Mustang will be there, as will a tranche of facelifted Teslas, new metal from Chinese giant BYD, and the MG Cyberster, a stunning electric convertible.
Andy explains: “Our focus is to make sure the show feels fresh each and every year and we’ve got lots of new cars on display from all of the key manufacturers. There are some exciting additions to our live arena for 2024, too, including a BMX half-pipe stunt team, which I can’t wait to see.”
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Under 10s driving experiences
Yep, if you’re bringing a fledgling petrolhead to the British Motor Show, they can get behind the wheel of a car even if they’re under 10 years old.
Andy explains: “We’ve always done the Under-17s driving experiences and it always gets fully booked because it’s so popular. But this year we’ve got something called ‘Lightning Bugs’, which are basically mini cars with a fully-electric powertrain. They’re just like a real car, but smaller, and now kids aged 6-10 can get their first taste of driving while sitting inside one. It all plays into exactly what we’re trying to do with the British Motor Show, which is to reintroduce youngsters to the joys of automotive. If we don’t continue to spark that enthusiasm in kids then the entire industry dies. It’s something I’m really passionate about.”
Team Maximum Lock Drift Show
If you’re a fan of watching cars go sideways in a cloud of tyre smoke, read on.
Andy reveals: “I’m really excited about our drifting spectacles this year. We’ll be welcoming Team Maximum Lock to the Live Arena, a Maltese drift team who were actually on Malta’s Got Talent! This is an all-new drift show and these guys take it to a different level. It’s proper tyre-smoking silliness, standing on the car’s roof while the thing does doughnuts. What we’ve also got - which we’ve never done before - is a company called Drift Limits which offers a four-seat ‘drift taxi’ experience. Previously, you could only go out on your own. Now, you can get the entire family going sideways! It’s going to be really cool.”
New Guinness World Record attempt
Every year, Andy and the British Motor Show go all-out to try and set a new official Guinness World Record. Last year was no different, with stunt driver Paul Swift setting a new world record for the fastest time to complete five stunts in a car (57.21 seconds), with those escapades including driving on two wheels, handbrake parallel parking into a small gap, and doing three consecutive donuts in a Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
This year Paul, from Darlington, County Durham, will see how fast he can drift parallel park five cars - one after the other.
Andy says: “The idea is that he’ll set the record on the first day of the show and then try to beat his time over the next four days. That attempt will also be hosted by former Olympian Iwan Thomas, who’s a massive petrolhead and is a firm fixture of the British Motor Show’s Live Arena. Also, make sure you don’t miss our Under-16s stunt motorcycle riders. It’s a great show and they’ll blow your mind.”
The Driven Women Panel
However you perceive it, the car industry can easily be viewed as a male-dominated one. And that’s why Andy is shining a light on the amazing women who work in automotive, from EV experts to motorsport mechanics - and everyone else in between.
Andy enthuses: “We’ve got former Bangers and Cash TV star Sarah Crabtree, Top Gear and current Fifth Gear presenter Vicky Butler-Henderson, as well as people who are involved in motorsports and those with a passion for cherished car ownership. There will be panel sessions and live Q&As. And it’s about creating an environment where women can talk about their experiences and ask questions without fearing they might be belittled. The whole Driven Women concept was prompted by a conversation I had last year with a woman called George Thurman, the co-founder of an online group called Women Drive Electric, which seeks to bridge the gap between females who drive an EV and the automotive industry in general. She pointed out that we didn’t have an awful lot of female guests on the Show’s live stage - and she was absolutely right to call me out on it! I made a commitment right there and then to do something about it. One thing’s for sure, our female petrolheads are just as passionate about cars as anyone else and we’re delighted to welcome them to the British Motor Show.”
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