A Ford Escort van from the turn of the millennium will take its place on the concours lawn at this year’s Festival of the Unexceptional, continuing a rather short tradition of commercial vehicles enjoying unlikely glory among Britain’s most ordinary classics.
The Escort van is one of eight early highlights picked out by Hagerty from the 50 vehicles selected for the 2026 Concours de l’Ordinaire, which forms part of the Festival of the Unexceptional at Grimsthorpe Castle on Saturday 25 July.
While the event is best known for celebrating forgotten family cars, base-model hatchbacks and the sort of saloons once parked outside every branch of Kwik Save, vans and pickups have increasingly earned their place in the spotlight.
In 2024, the overall winner of the Festival of the Unexceptional was a 1982 Toyota Hilux pickup
owned by Mitch Lewis. The Hilux had spent much of its life as a fruit farm workhorse, yet remained original, immaculate and pleasingly unpretentious.
Last year, a 1986 Bedford Rascal was named among the 50 Concours de l’Ordinaire finalists. With its 970cc engine, white paintwork, brown plastic dashboard and just 18,000 miles on the clock, the tiny van was exactly the sort of once-everywhere workhorse that tends to disappear almost without anyone noticing.
Now it is the turn of the Ford Escort van.
Commercial vehicles arguably fit the Festival of the Unexceptional brief better than almost anything else. They are usually bought to do a job, specified as cheaply as possible, maintained only as long as they remain useful and driven without quite the same mechanical tenderness often reserved for cherished private cars.
That makes a clean Mk6 Escort van a surprisingly notable survivor.
The example heading to Grimsthorpe is, correctly, finished in white. It does wear alloy wheels, which is perhaps a dangerously flamboyant touch for an event built around automotive ordinariness, but Hagerty’s Antony Ingram notes that these were already fitted when the current owner bought it. The rest of the van is said to be suitably spot on.
The Escort will appear alongside a varied selection of Concours de l’Ordinaire entrants, including a Kia Clarus Wagon, Trabant 1.1, Ford Fiesta Finesse, Renault 14, Toyota Previa, Seat Ibiza 1.9D and Mazda 1300 Estate.
Now in its 12th year, the Festival of the Unexceptional celebrates the base models, forgotten trims, and everyday vehicles that rarely make it into traditional classic car circles. Fifty cars and vans will take part in the main concours, selected from hundreds of entries.
The 2026 Festival of the Unexceptional takes place at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire on Saturday 25 July, with tickets available now.
- Electric Van Man plugs market gap with UK’s first dedicated used electric van dealership - 17 September 2026
- Stellantis sets 2029 date for next-generation large van - 17 September 2026
- Ford puts Transit City to work with new chassis cab - 16 September 2026