The BDC’s annual showpiece this summer, sponsored by distinguished whisky producer Glenfarclas, will be bigger and better than ever – a ‘three-day weekend’ spectacular, from Friday to Sunday, held at picturesque Cubberley House, at Ross-on-Wye, Hereford.
And it will receive royal patronage, the event due to be held in the presence of HRH Prince Michael of Kent.
The idyllic 100-acre country estate is the home of 2019 Concours Best in Show winner Dean Kronsbein, whose beautiful home and grounds successfully hosted the Midlands Region Centenary Summer Gala Day in 2019.
To ensure the 2022 event will be one to remember, the superb programme will begin on the Friday, followed by a host of exciting activities (tours and excursions) on the Saturday with the highlight being a sumptuous champagne reception and five-course formal dinner (see below).
The weekend’s festivities will climax on the Sunday (9am-5pm) with the eagerly awaited concours when the cream of our Members’ cars will be judged. A special exhibition will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic R Type and R Type Continental, while cars from the superb Bentley Motors Heritage Collection will also be showcased along with a special display of Vintage Bentleys, by kind courtesy of Past President Jimmy Medcalf's family, which have starred in hit TV drama series Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey.
Entertainment in the form of a spectacular World War II Spitfire fly-past on both Saturday (1.14pm) and Sunday (11.42am), courtesy of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flights programme, together a brass band and singing girls, will add extra spice to the day’s summer party ambience. You can also add further zest to your day by attending a vineyard tour and tasting excursion.
TV personality Richard Hammond will be at Cubberley on the Saturday to promote The Smallest Cog, his classic-car restoration service. The organisation will have a stand showcasing an R Type of Dean Kronsbein's which is being restored.
For those looking for something else to keep them entertained on the Friday and Saturday, the Royal Three Counties Show is taking place in nearby Malvern - click here for details.
The car voted Best in Show may enjoy the privilege of being displayed for a week in the Rotunda at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall when a black-tie prize-giving dinner will be arranged.
And don't forget to order your delicious picnic hampers too - available in standard and vegetarian options on both Saturday and Sunday. Glasses, knives, forks and napkins are all included. Click here to order yours. Last date for ordering is Wednesday 15 June. Food stalls will also be available on the Sunday.
Sunday admission price on the gate (Club members and non members): £45 per car
The Summer Concours & Party weekend will support the RAF Benevolent Fund and Help for Heroes charities.
PROGRAMME
(may be subject to change)
FRIDAY
Hog roast and music (free of charge); plus pay bar
SATURDAY
Breakfast (free of charge)
Tom’s Tour (for up to 35 cars, includes lunch stop)
Vineyard tour and tasting (free return transport from Cubberley House in Dean Kronsbein's classic, concours-standard 1948 Bedford coach)
Morgan factory tour plus archive museum visit (includes buffet lunch)
Cubberley House garden tours (enjoy a picnic)
World War II Spitfire fly-past
Champagne reception and gala dinner with fine wines
Picnic hampers
SUNDAY
Concours & Patina class judging
Exhibition Cars - 70th anniversary R Type display
Bentley Motors Heritage Collection
Peaky Blinders & Downton Abbey display
World War II Spitfire fly-past
Vineyard tour and tasting
Cubberley House garden tours (enjoy a picnic)
Stands and stalls (selling local produce)
Entertainment (brass band, singing girls)
Two-course buffet lunch and bar
Picnic hampers and food stalls
Prize-giving ceremony
RECEPTION & DINNER
The pièce de résistance of Saturday.
Once you’ve enjoyed the day’s hectic activities, you’ll then get glammed up in your best bib and tucker for the evening’s entertainment.
This will get under way when you’ll once again meet up with friends at a champagne reception on the terrace of Cubberley House itself.
This will be followed by a sumptuous five-course formal dinner, served with fine hand-picked wines, in a spacious and luxuriously-bedecked marquee on the estate lawns.
Short speeches, including from Club President Duncan Wiltshire, and much socialising will provide a fitting finale to the grandest of soirées.
Concours package tickets are available by clicking here.
CONCOURS JUDGING CLASS ENTRANTS
Club Members who enter the Concours judging class ONLINE should email details of their car, including a photograph, to Dennis Boatwright, at the Club Office, at dennis.boatwright@bdcl.org
WHERE TO STAY
Here’s a list of recommended hotels in the Ross-on-Wye area.
ROWDEN ABBEY 07947 996051 (www.rowdenabbey.co.uk)
ROYAL HOTEL 01989 565105 (www.greenekinginns.co.uk)
KINGS HEAD HOTEL 0800 801 098 (https://kingshead.co.uk)
OLD COURT HOTEL 01600 890 367 (www.oldcourthotel.co.uk)
CORSE LAWN HOUSE 01452 780771 (www.corselawn.com)
GREEN DRAGON HOTEL 01432 272506 (www.greendragonhotel.com)
FEATHERS LEDBURY 01531 635266 (https://feathersledbury.co.uk)
TALBOT LEDBURY 01531 632963 (www.talbotledbury.co.uk)
HILTON PICKRUP HALL 01684 296200 (www.hilton.com/en/hotels/bhxphhn-hilton-puckrup-hall-tewkesbury)
PREMIER INN 0333 321 8454 (www.premierinn.com)
For full details on the Summer Concours & Party, visit the Events section of the Club website.
Why not combine this event with the Isle of Man Bentley Raid being held the following week? Click here for details.