The winners of the 2025 Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards are revealed
The Royal Automobile Club celebrated the very best of Britain’s historic motoring and motorsport worlds last night at a glittering evening in its Pall Mall clubhouse to present the latest winners of the Club’s annual Historic Awards.
From major names to unsung heroes, the sold-out event welcomed a tremendous breadth of individuals and organisations from the UK’s historic automotive sector, as Formula 1 presenter Lee McKenzie presided over the evening. Several of the prestigious historic trophies of which the Club is a custodian, including the British Grand Prix Trophy, Tourist Trophy and Torrens Trophy, adorned tables in the magnificent Mountbatten Room, shining reminders of the Royal Automobile Club’s long pedigree in recognising excellence.
This was a year in which the independent judging panels reported an exceptionally high standard of entries across the board, resulting in lengthy debates to produce the shortlists, and even tougher discussions to select the ultimate winners.
The recipient of the Club’s Lifetime Achievement award – the one award not decided by the judges – is a motorcycling legend, Sammy Miller MBE.
Sammy’s global success in multiple motorcycle disciplines includes an astonishing 1482 Trials event victories, 11 successive British Trials Championships, five Scottish Six Day Trial titles, the Irish Motocross Championship title and numerous Irish road racing victories.
This record alone makes him a worthy recipient of this award but, in a career spanning eight decades, Sammy has another extraordinary achievement: the acclaimed Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum. Home to some 500 rare and exotic machines, it draws vast numbers of motorbike fans from around the world to New Milton in Hampshire. Now aged 92, Sammy has never rested on his laurels; he continues to restore rare motorcycles in his workshops, attends a huge range of events, and remains an active rider.
The judges in the Outstanding Journalism category had no fewer than 40 magazine articles to assess, with Lead Judge, Autocar Editor-in-Chief Steve Cropley, noting that the standard not only of writing but also of research was simply remarkable this year. Nowhere was this better exemplified than in the winning feature by Dan Cogger, ‘Lucky Number 13’, published in The Automobile. This documented the previously untold story of a jaguar C-type that spent most of its long life out of the spotlight yet was a class winner at Pebble Beach this year.
The Young Achiever award (supported by StarterMotor) turns the spotlight on to those individuals aged 30 and under already proving the future of the historic motoring and motorsport world to be in safe hands. The winner, trimmer Samantha Ruff, demonstrates outstanding creative and organisational skill in her role with Harry Fraser Vehicle Upholstery, and reminds us that a love for historic machines is often shared within families – her twin sister Cat was the 2024 Young Achiever! The judges, led by historic motorsport competitor and event organiser Vanessa Marçais, said that Sammy’s career to date represents exactly the contribution to historic motoring from a young person they were looking for.
Headed by lead judge Sarah Bennett-Baggs – founder of AutoAddicts.com and a classic biker and racing driver – the jury in Personal Endeavour (supported by MOTUL) voted unanimously for the late Julian Grimwade as their winner. A tremendously popular stalwart of the Vintage Sports car Club, who also gave decades of service to the Bentley Drivers’ Club, Julian was a significant figure at Brooklands. His untimely passing this year saw the world of pre-war motoring lose a champion of heritage in action.
The 2025 panel for the Innovation category (supported by SUSTAIN and Federation Skills Trust) had a brilliantly diverse set of nominations to consider before selecting the Equipe Super Sprint as its winner. Lead Judge Lizzie Pope, Associate Editor of Classic & Sports car magazine, commented that the new event format turns the idea of a race meeting on its head to give drivers who have never previously been in contention for a podium finish a chance of glory.
Knockhill’s star-studded International McRae rally Festival took top honours in Competitive Event (supported by Piper-Heidsieck). The judges, led by motor racing commentator Ian Titchmarsh, described it as ‘a wonderful celebration of not just Colin and the rest of the McRae family, but also the best of Scottish motorsport.’
The 20th edition of Salon Privé was the winner of Motoring Spectacle (supported by RM Sotheby’s). Lead Judge Alastair Clements, Editor-in-Chief of Classic & Sports car magazine, noted that this celebration of motoring culture brought together collectors, restorers, manufacturers and enthusiasts from across the globe. The judges particularly praised the new Automotive Gallery, a spectacular display structure built from 1,206 panes of glass and covering 4,460m sq.
With Lead Judge Allan Winn, Vice President of Brooklands Museum, at the helm, the judges in Museums & Collections (supported by Lockton) went on a highly enjoyable road trip to visit all three finalists before selecting the British motor Museum as their winner. The Museum impressed for its focus on young people and education over the past year.
There was a road trip too for the Restoration jury. Headed by journalist, commentator and author Simon Taylor, they made their way to category partner Bicester Motion to put the three finalist cars through their paces and quiz the restorers. They were ultimately won over by the glorious 1924 Hispano-Suiza H6C Boulogne (Simon Kidston/Jonathan Wood Ltd), which they agreed was perhaps the most exceptional restoration they’d ever seen, resulting in the complete rebirth of a massive, elegant 8-litre sports saloon which in its day was one of the fastest cars on the road.
Commenting on the evening, Duncan Wilshire, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, said: “I have simply the greatest admiration for all the winners here tonight. In their own contrasting and compelling ways, they truly enrich Britain’s historic motoring scene. Many congratulations from everyone at this Club, where we continue to make more motoring history every year.
“We offer a home and a backdrop to these Awards rich in history and tradition with, as ever, an eye to a soundly sustainable future. We’re also delighted to bring together all our expert judges who, really, had the hardest task – examining the huge number of brilliant nominations.”
A history of celebrating excellenceThe Royal Automobile Club started its Historic Awards in 2019, acutely aware that the UK’s historic motoring clubs, events, associations, companies and special individuals deserved recognition for their unsung achievements. Since then, more than 170 contenders have been accorded merit as finalists, chosen by judges invited solely for their expertise and independence of outlook. The Awards extend the Club’s 128-year pedigree in recognising motoring accomplishments and celebrating success through its trophies and medals.
For further information, please visit royalautomobileclubhistoricawards.co.uk.
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