2026 Revival Car Show highlights | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

Always a personal favourite attraction of mine, the Revival Car Show is split into two distinct groups, for pre-1967 vehicles, plus later post- ‘67 tax free classic cars. It consistently attracts many of the UK’s (plus mainland Europe’s) best and rarely seen older road registered machinery.

This year I was only able to make it Over the Road a couple of times, but when I did, I was rewarded for my minimal effort by an outstanding array of exceptional classic cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles. Randomly dotted in between arguably the UK’s finest and most diverse annual variety of older Aston Martins, Bentleys, MGs, Rileys, Bristols, Rolls-Royces, Jaguars, early Land Rovers, Austins, Triumphs and other great classics, the spread of lesser-spotted continental and American machinery was simply breathtaking.

This year, a truly outstanding selection of overseas-registered classics made the long journey to Goodwood just for the Revival, with a staggering amount of Belgian-registered cars outnumbering the many that had also driven over from France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, and so on. I even spotted an old Willys Jeep that had travelled from Iceland!

Listing all of the exceptional cars parked up in the Revival’s dedicated Classic zones would take much of the remainder of this year, so I will instead concentrate on my top five.

1. Kaiser Darrin

One of just 435 made and possibly the sole example in Europe, the Kaiser Darrin was a pioneering glass-fibre bodied American sportscar, designed by the celebrated automotive stylist Howard ‘Dutch’ Darrin and released in 1954 by the small Kaiser Corporation. Powered by a 2.6-litre flat-six engine, the Darrin was (and remains) unique in featuring doors that slid on tracks into the front wings. The Darrin was a real treat to see for all admirers of rare and unusual automobiles and worth the walk over to the Revival Car Show field alone.

2. Zagato Rover 2000 TCZ

This exotic Rover 2000 P6-based coupe was a striking concept car styled by the legendary Ercole Spada for Milan-based coachbuilder Zagato. It was displayed in LHD form at the 1967 Turin Salone, with another example prepared with RHD steering for the 1967 London Earls Court Motor Show. I tried to buy this car in the early 1980s when it was advertised quite innocently in the local Thames Valley Trader (now Auto Trader), with its then-owner clearly uncertain of what it was. As an impoverished student, I couldn’t quite afford this TCZ so regrettably had to let this very rare and special opportunity pass me by.

3. Darl’Mat Peugeot 203 Constantin Coupe

Having built some wonderful Peugeot 302-based competition cars in the 1930s, the early 1950s saw Parisian Peugeot dealer Darl’Mat re-body and tune eleven special Peugeot 203 two-door coupes for Constantin for competition use. With power increased to 66PS (48kW) to give near-100mph performance, the Darl’Mat 203 Coupes were fitted with a special Constantin blower supercharger. A rare beast indeed.

4. Autobianchi Primula

The Primula might not have been the most earth-shattering car in attendance, but it was arguably one of the rarest and most influential models in attendance. This innovative Primula featured the Fiat Group’s first production front-wheel-drive (FWD) layout with transverse engine, a format popularised by a cautious Fiat that used its lesser Autobianchi brand to test the system in 1964, before introducing the 128, in 1969. In five-door hatchback form, the FWD Primula rare-dated Renault’s acclaimed 16, among others. The Autobianchi’s contemporary styling closely resembled BMC’s Austin-Morris ADO16 1100-1300 family, and around 75,000 examples of the car were sold by the time production ended in 1970.

5. 1951 Saurer 3C-H Coach

Built by the long-lived 1903-82 Swiss truck maker Saurer with pleasingly airy aerodynamic Avantgarde contemporary styling, this Swiss coach used a period Chevrolet commercial vehicle chassis. It transported a large group of happy and enthusiastic regular Revival visitors from Luxembourg in fantastic 1950s style, with all of its occupants wearing appropriate period fashions. An amazing sight to behold.

I can’t wait to see what astonishing delights the Revival Car Show will have in store in 2027!

Photography by Gary Axon.

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