What a Year 2018 has been!

What a year 2018 has been; we’ve run our first ever prize giveaway, attended even more events than ever and taken part in another amazing Guinness World Record attempt!

At the beginning of the year we attended the season opener, Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show, where we launched our biggest prize competition, giving people the opportunity to win a 1981 Golf GTI! Over the year, the Golf underwent a range of sympathetic modifications and upgrades to ensure it was in tip top condition for the new owner and Classics Monthly once again exclusively covered the journey. Our Car Club Manager, Dave Youngs, has been its custodian for the year and taken it up and down the country to numerous events to meet you all. The GTI is a true 80s hot hatch which conjures up memories for many and it’s been great to hear them all. Alas the competition has now closed, so a huge thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to Robbie Knight on becoming the new owner.

We’ve also continued to support a number of events and displays this year such as Classics and Supercars Show at Sherborne Castle in July and we were honoured to have Paddy Hopkirk in attendance. The Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership is a much loved display at the NEC shows which unites all attendees. It’s so heart-warming to hear the stories and see some of the best classics in the country in one area. A huge congratulations must go to Paul Clappison and his MGB GT, the Spring Champion, and Rob Sargent and his Ford Cortina Savage, the Autumn Champion, for taking home the crowns!

The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery in particular, is a true highlight of the year. We embraced the ‘Built to Last’ theme by opening ‘Lancaster Cars’ and launching our own version of ‘Play Your Cars Right’ for the weekend, which went down a storm! It’s such a special weekend for us and completely non-stop, but we love it!

With all the shows, the best part is meeting you all and sharing your passion. It is also a great opportunity for us to get feedback from you as we are always striving to provide the best service we possibly can. Your views, along with keeping up to date with market trends, helps us to shape our offering, keep up to date with emerging classics and modern classics and ensure we’re meeting the needs of our customers. This year we’ve continued to expand our bespoke schemes including arranging cover for classic car enthusiasts who are under 21 and we’re thrilled to be able to offer competitive insurance for everyday cars for customers who insure their classic with us!

I just wanted to end on a real highlight - supporting Land Rover Monthly and The Billing Off Road Show in its quest to break the Guinness World Record for the largest parade of Land Rovers/Range Rovers. It’s a special year for the marque as its celebrates its 70th anniversary and we’re delighted to have played a part in marking the occasion with enthusiasts from all over the country. Setting a new title is a huge achievement and it was an absolutely incredible day with a huge range of models taking part; from a 1955 Land Rover Series 1 Station Wagon, affectionately known as ‘Oxford’ and one of two that set out on the ‘First Overland’ expedition, to a Land Rover Discovery 5, to the latest plug-in hybrid Range Rover PHEV and everything in-between! A huge well done and congratulations to all involved.

Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to say I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and wish you all a prosperous New Year. Here’s to an exciting 2019 - watch this space!