Kat

MotoFest Coventry is all revved up for a roaring return this weekend with supercars, competitive time trialling, Jaguars on the prowl in their home city, a parade of 30 UK and US police cars and a special ‘Royal car’ all part of the festival programme.

The Supercar Driver (SCD) – the UK’s leading club for supercar owners – will make a welcome return to MotoFest Coventry, in partnership with E.ON Drive, with dynamic displays on the Ring Road Sprint Circuit and their own dedicated ‘Supercar Paddock’.

With approximately 50 SCD members and their cars due to appear across the two days on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th June, they will take to the circuit each day for dynamic displays on the Sprint Circuit, in what promises to be one of the most spectacular sights of the festival.

Once they have completed their runs on the circuit, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, McLarens and Porsches will be parked up in a new dedicated ‘Supercar Paddock’, located on Greyfriars Green, with visitors able to get up close to the cars and enjoy plenty of photo and video opportunities with them.

The British Automobile Racing Club’s (BARC) Connaught Speed Championship Rounds 10 and 11 will mark the return of competitive motorsports to the MotoFest Sprint Circuit for the first time since 2019, with time trialling taking place on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.     

As well as the BARC Connaught Speed Championship, MotoFest Coventry will also host an official round of the British Autotest championship, along with an array of modern and historic race vehicles taking part in the Sports and Performance section during the festival.

The Jaguars will make a roaring return to their home city, with the Jaguar Heritage Trust set to bring some notable ‘star cars’ to the event. The 1956 Jaguar ‘Long Nose’ Penultimate D-type 393 RW, which set the fastest lap in the famous 1956 Le Mans 24-hour race, and TWR XJ-S, the 1984 Group A European Touring Car Championship Winner, will bring the motorsport past gloriously to life when they take to the MotoFest circuit.  

Another special vehicle on show is the 2002-built Daimler XJO8, the last model in the range and the Queen’s very own personal car from 2002 to 2004. Joining the Queen’s Daimler on the circuit is a 1983 Jaguar XJ-S Coupé Police Demonstrator car, once a regular car in the Warwickshire constabulary fleet, and on Sunday part of the ‘One Big Alarm’ vehicle parade.

The ‘One Big Alarm’s is billed by organisers as the city’s Sunday morning “wake-up call”. It will see 30-plus UK and US police and emergency heritage vehicles make their way through the city with full sirens blaring, before entering on to the MotoFest circuit for a parade lap.

As part of MotoFest’s past present and future theme for the event, the future will be showcased with the latest in sustainable transport, low-carbon motoring, advanced automotive and electric vehicle technology.

One of the future technology highlights on display will be the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) vehicle, track and a first-of-a-kind CVLR simulator.  

For the first time, the public will be able to get on the zero emission, battery-powered CVLR vehicle and explore its interior. Experts will be on hand to explain its key features and innovations.

Motofest Coventry visitors will also be able to take to the controls – on a state-of-the-art simulator which features three screens for a near-perfect view of the first city centre demonstrator route. As part of the Future Technology Zone at the festival, there will also be drone displays and autonomous vehicle displays. 

James Noble, MotoFest Festival Director, said: “We are delighted to announce the full return of the MotoFest Coventry 2023 festival. This year MotoFest Coventry will be back bigger and bolder than ever, with a non-stop cultural celebration of the city’s motoring past, present and future.

“We welcome the return of traditional MotoFest favourites such as the unique Ring Road Sprint Circuit, the BARC sprint championship rounds, the supercars and the Jaguar Heritage Trust classic cars.

“We will also be showcasing the best in sustainable transport, low carbon motoring and electric vehicle technology. This includes the first-ever public appearance of the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) vehicle, track and a first-of-a-kind CVLR simulator, drone displays and autonomous vehicle displays.

“There will also be the usual live motorsport and motorbike displays, the new Drift Arena with the Crewsade Team and our big free-to-attend Saturday night music event, the MotoFest After Party, to provide a fitting finale to the first day’s entertainment.

“It’s set to be a fantastic weekend full of thrills, family fun and high-octane entertainment with something for everyone to enjoy across the festival weekend.”

The free-to-attend MotoFest After Party, in partnership with Madri Excepcional, takes place on Saturday 3rd June at Warwick Road in Coventry city centre, with every act on the bill, including the headliner, either featuring a female singer or a female band member.

The concert will be headlined by 23-year-old singer/songwriter Cameron Hayes, who will perform a set list that includes her latest single, ‘Sold My Soul’. The track has already earned Cameron a spot as BBC Introducing Berkshire’s Artist in Residence this summer and garnered support from BBC Radio 1’s Alyx Holcombe on her BBC Intro Rock show.

Cameron will be supported on the bill by exciting, young female-fronted, Brighton-based indie band, Niches. Another female-fronted band taking to the stage is blues and rock act, Born Healer, with lead singer Helen Turner recently nominated for the UK Blues Federation’s best vocalist award.

The final female-fronted band on the bill are East London-based indie rock band, Emma and the Fragments. With charismatic lead singer Emma alongside her husband Jon, their deep connection and shared musical vision have been the driving force behind the four-piece band’s success.

For those wanting to enjoy an early preview of the fantastic music, including Cameron Hayes tracks, on offer at the MotoFest After Party, visit the MotoFest After Party playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ficLCE8qJeT0XPiYqebNb

The musical feast being served up at the MotoFest After Party is part of a broader entertainment menu featuring a host of activities across the festival weekend. In addition to the main concert on Saturday night, there will be live music across both days with various stages featuring local Coventry and West Midlands performers and community groups.

MotoFest Coventry, in partnership with E.ON Drive, is a two-day festival dedicated to the city of Coventry’s motoring heritage, taking place on Saturday 3 June and Sunday 4 June. It will feature a unique blend of racing demonstrations, static displays, live music and anything else with a connection to Coventry, transport and the city’s motoring heritage.

For more details about MotoFest Coventry, visit https://www.coventrymotofest.com/.

National Express have an exclusive travel offer: 25% off a Day Saver ticket, for those visiting MotoFest by bus this weekend.

To redeem this offer, you will need to buy tickets using this link:

https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/offers/nx-discover-offer

And enter discount code: NXCOV25.

Happy travels!

A Coventry-built Barbie Jaguar which inspired the popular doll’s iconic toy car will take part in MotoFest this year.

The pink Jaguar XJS will ride Coventry’s famous ring road as part of the motoring festival’s traditional sprint circuit parade.

It will then be exhibited at Millennium Place near Coventry Transport Museum where you can pose for pictures with a real life Ken and Barbie.

The news comes as movie fans await one of the most eagerly anticipated film adaptations in recent years; Greta Gerwig’s Barbie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling

CV Life, the organisation behind the Transport Museum where the Barbie car has been on display since September, has managed to uncover a Coventry Ken and Barbie among its staff.

So motoring fans attending the event will be able to pose for photos with a Coventry-built Barbie car, with a Coventry Ken and Barbie, at what is one of Coventry’s biggest annual events which attracts hundreds of thousands of people.

But Barbie will also take part in the parade, waving to fans from the passenger side of the beautiful pink car.

The Barbie Jag has a hugely fascinating history. It was specially prepared for the American toy manufacturing company Mattel as a prototype for Barbie’s very own car, part of a range of Barbie accessories. It was painted in bright pink and matched the doll’s lip colour and then used for promotion worldwide. 

However, it had a life before Barbie. It was originally used by Jaguar Cars to help launch the new XJS Convertible in 1990. It was then shipped to Bosnia to appear in a film directed by Michael Winner starring Omar Sharif.

But due to war in the region in the 1990s it became trapped in Bosnia. It was eventually returned to Jaguar but required considerable repair work. This led to it being ideal to be reused as the ‘Barbie car’.

It is a left-hand drive automatic, powered by a 5.3 litre V12 engine which makes it both fast and smooth to drive.

It was acquired by the Museum from Jaguar Daimler Heritage trust in 1999.

For those who also love toys, the museum has an example of the toy Barbie Jaguar, which can be seen in the neighbouring display case in ‘Behind the Scenes’ where the car is usually exhibited.

Marguerite Nugent, CV Life’s cultural director, said: “We’re very proud of all of our collection but the Barbie car is truly unique.

“So we’re really pleased to be working alongside MotoFest and to be able to not only take part in the ring road parade, but also to display some of star heritage vehicles at Millennium Place. Every vehicle has a story to tell and our staff and volunteers will be on hand to talk to visitors about the collection.

“It looks set to be a brilliant weekend which will have a bit of something for everyone to enjoy.”

James Noble, MotoFest Coventry Festival Director, said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with CV Life to bring the iconic Barbie Car to the festival weekend.

“As well as its current role as the Barbie Car, the Jaguar XJS Convertible has a wonderful history. It was built in Coventry, played an integral role in the Jaguar launch in 1990 and now returns to the city over 30 years later to wow the public again.

“MotoFest Coventry is all about celebrating the city’s motoring heritage and the Jaguar XJS Convertible ‘Barbie Car’ is a fantastic demonstration of that sentiment and a wonderful addition to the ‘star cars’ in our programme.

“We would also like to thank CV Life for bringing the car to MotoFest and all the excellent supporting activities they are organising for visitors to enjoy across the festival weekend.”

For the weekend of MotoFest, entry to the Transport Museum will be free for everyone.

There will also be family activities in the museum on Saturday and Sunday, including junk modelling in our Future Tech gallery which will incorporate MotoFest themes.

Meanwhile in Millennium Place, as well as vintage vehicles, there will be a host of activities and equipment to encourage free play and learning for families.

MotoFest will take place on the weekend of 3rd and 4th June. Find out more about the event at https://www.coventrymotofest.com/

Find out more about events  at Coventry Transport Museum at https://www.transport-museum.com/

The supercars are to make a welcome return to MotoFest Coventry, in partnership with E.ON Drive, with dynamic displays on the Ring Road Sprint Circuit and their own dedicated ‘Supercar Paddock’, during the festival weekend.

Supercar Driver (SCD) – the UK’s leading club for supercar owners – will make their third appearance at the event with approximately 50 members and their cars due to appear across the two days on Saturday 3^rd and Sunday 4^th June. 

All SCD members’ cars will take to the circuit each day for dynamic displays on the Sprint Circuit, in what promises to be one of the most spectacular sights of the festival.

Once they have completed their runs on the circuit, the SCD cars will be parked up in a new dedicated ‘Supercar Paddock’, located on Greyfriars Green, with MotoFest visitors able to get up close to the cars and enjoy plenty of photo and video opportunities with them.

Alongside the Lamborghinis, Ferraris, McLarens and Porsches set to light up the main sprint circuit, there will also be various SCD member ‘star cars‘ to get the pulse racing for  motoring enthusiasts across the weekend.

First off the grid of the cars to look out for is the Noble M600, with the model attending MotoFest being an ex-Noble show car that has featured on Top Gear – where it was driven by Jeremy Clarkson, the Stig and Richard Hammond. Next up is the Jaguar Project 8, one of only 300 built and with a 5.0 litre V8 engine producing 592bph, it promises to be a spectacular homecoming for Jaguar’s fastest-ever production car. 

Finally, the motoring future will be on display right now with not one but two Ferrari hybrid supercars making their debut at MotoFest Coventry. The Ferrari 296 GTB hybrid is the first  V6-powered Ferrari since 1974, equipped with a 2.9-litre V6 plug-in hybrid engine that produces a 205mph+ top speed and is capable of reaching 60mph in just 2.9 seconds.

The second Ferrari hybrid to be seen at MotoFest Coventry is the SF90 Stradale, the first ever Ferrari to feature PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) technology. The SF90 Stradale has a plug-in hybrid powertrain, featuring the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from the F8 Tributo, and is capable of a top speed of 211mph and 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds – making it ideal for a spin around the MotoFest Coventry sprint circuit.

James Duce, Event Manager for Supercar Driver said: “SCD are delighted to support MotoFest Coventry, in partnership with E.ON Drive, again. We are really looking forward to bringing a selection of the latest and greatest supercars and taking to the closed roads of Coventry.

“This event has been a highlight in our calendar for a few years now and our members are always keen to put on a show to enthusiasts!”

James Noble, MotoFest Coventry Festival Director, said: “We are excited to welcome the return of the supercars to MotoFest, in partnership with E.ON Drive.

“Supercar Driver (SCD) has always proved a real crowd-pleaser during previous festival appearances, and I am sure they will wow visitors again this year.

“It’s great to have them on board and it’s another exciting addition to a supercharged programme of two and four-wheeled action across the festival weekend.”

Mark Daniels, Director of E.ON Drive, said: “We know that the SCD is always a big draw at MotoFest so it’s really pleasing that this year’s lineup will include hybrid supercars. As the UK market for electric vehicles continues to grow, the range of available makes and models gets bigger and better in response to this demand.

“Showcasing electric vehicles at MotoFest Coventry, including hybrid supercars, is a great way to help people understand that lower carbon motoring is a vital part of all of our futures.” 

E.ON Drive is the lead brand partner for MotoFest Coventry in 2022. E.ON Drive is part of energy supply and solutions provider E.ON and provides an end-to-end electric vehicle charging service for customers.

This year’s MotoFest, in partnership with E.ON Drive, will have a significant future technology focus, showcasing the latest alternatively fuelled vehicles and electric motorcycles, including Maeving, a Coventry based Electric motorbike company, who are leading in the electrification journey.

The new future technology zone, based in the main Greyfriars Green festival site, will see exhibitors committed to showcasing the latest electric vehicles and motorcycles. Many of those two and four-wheeled exhibits will also take part in dynamic displays on the main sprint circuit and the motorsport and drift arenas.

There will also be demonstrations of autonomous vehicle technology and future transport solutions on Friday 2 June – a new additional day to the MotoFest Coventry weekend, with more announcements to follow soon regarding the full programme of events.

MotoFest Coventry is a two-day festival dedicated to the city of Coventry’s motoring heritage, taking place on Saturday 3 June and Sunday 4 June. It will feature a unique blend of racing demonstrations, static displays, live music and anything else with a connection to Coventry, transport and the city’s motoring heritage. For more details about MotoFest Coventry, visit https://www.coventrymotofest.com/

The Club MotoFest Breakfast event will provide a taster of the future technology to be showcased at this year’s MotoFest Coventry, in partnership with E.ON Drive, – with one of the UK’s largest operating drones and an autonomous vehicle both on display this weekend.

The PW-Manta Ray drone, which is operated by Coventry-based Skyfarer Ltd, and an autonomous Ford Ranger vehicle will be on display in Broadgate, in Coventry city centre from 8am on Saturday 29 April, as part of the Club MotoFest Breakfast Meet event.

As one of the largest operating drones of its type, the PW-Manta Ray weighs 25KG, with an additional 10KG cargo capability (35Kg), and has a 3.5m wingspan. It can be flown both autonomously or under BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) conditions, which gives it a great application for medical deliveries.

The autonomous Ford Ranger will be provided by Conigital and Coventry University and is part of the Multi-Area Connected Automated Mobility (MACAM) Project. The MACAM project will see a trial of self-driving technology within Coventry city centre and at the NEC in around 18 months’ time.

For those visiting Saturday’s free event, they will have the opportunity to get up close to and find out more about both the PW-Manta Ray and the autonomous Ford Ranger, ahead of their appearance at MotoFest Coventry, in partnership with E.ON Drive, on Saturday 3 June and Sunday 4 June. 

James Noble, MotoFest Coventry Festival Director, said: “With our event partners such as E.ON Drive, Coventry City Council and Coventry University, we are in an incredibly strong position to showcase the best in sustainable transport, low carbon motoring and advanced automotive and electric vehicle technology at MotoFest Coventry. 

“At our Club MotoFest Breakfast Meet, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a taster of the future technology showcase we have planned for the main event weekend.

“Alongside the future technology on show we will also have static displays of Club MotoFest members’ vehicles, all of which is part of our commitment to celebrating the city’s motoring past, present and future.”

The PW-Manta Ray is part of a fleet of four drones operated by Skyfarer Ltd,  each with a specific design advantage for their role.

The Intelligent Energy drone, which is powered by hydrogen fuel cells, is used for long-endurance inspection/analysis, while the PW-1 is a smaller Vertical Take-Off and Launch (VTOL) drone used for vaccine and blood delivery. The HT8 Drone in a box (DIAB) is used for autonomous security, inspection and damage review.

Cllr Jim O’Boyle cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change said, “Motofest gives us a great opportunity showcase the future of transport – which will be cleaner, greener and eventually autonomous. Much of the technology that will drive the green industrial revolution is being pioneered right here is Coventry – and it will help to provide the jobs of the future too.

“I hope people will enjoy the opportunity to get up close to some of these innovations and be inspired for the future.”

E.ON Drive is the lead brand partner for MotoFest Coventry in 2022. E.ON Drive is part of energy supply and solutions provider E.ON and provides an end-to-end electric vehicle charging service for customers.

This year’s MotoFest, in partnership with E.ON Drive, will have a significant future technology focus, showcasing the latest alternatively fuelled vehicles and electric motorcycles, including Maeving, a Coventry based Electric motorbike company, who are leading in the electrification journey.

The new future technology zone, based in the main Greyfriars Green festival site, will see exhibitors committed to showcasing the latest electric vehicles and motorcycles. Many of those two and four-wheeled exhibits will also take part in dynamic displays on the main sprint circuit and the motorsport and drift arenas.

There will also be demonstrations of autonomous vehicle technology and future transport solutions on Friday 2 June – a new additional day to the MotoFest Coventry weekend, with more announcements to follow soon regarding the full programme of events.

MotoFest Coventry is a two-day festival dedicated to the city of Coventry’s motoring heritage, taking place on Saturday 3 June and Sunday 4 June. It will feature a unique blend of racing demonstrations, static displays, live music and anything else with a connection to Coventry, transport and the city’s motoring heritage.

For more details about MotoFest Coventry, visit https://www.coventrymotofest.com/