Rover's Centenary Event At Ragley Hall Wins Classic And Sports Car Award

2004 celebrates Rover’s centenary, with the first car produced 100 years ago today, 1st December 1904. It is fitting then, that Classic & Sports Car Magazine has awarded the Rover Sports Register with their Event of the Year award.

The award was given because Rover’s centenary celebrations incorporated a re-enactment of the Midland Automobile Club (MAC) hill climb, tackled by some of the oldest existing Rovers, a visit to Coventry’s newly revamped Transport Museum with the grand finale seeing over four hundred Rover cars (double that of previous years) spanning 100 years meeting at Ragley Hall near Stratford-upon-Avon, in July.

Classic & Sports Car Magazine’s Clubs Editor, David Evans: said: "It’s with great pleasure that I present this award to the Rover Sports Register for the Rover Centenary Celebration event. This event won our award because it wasn't just a 'cars in fields' event. The weekend combined lots of great elements but unlike most of the other contenders, it wasn't just a single-club event, all the Rover single-model clubs were invited to the finale at Ragley Hall. It was the overall combination - particularly the cooperation between different clubs - that tipped the decision towards the RSR."

The Rover Sports Register organiser, Tony Atkins, said: "It gives me great delight to accept this award on behalf of everyone who was involved in making this milestone event so memorable. We were overwhelmed by the support of everyone and were delighted with the biggest turnout ever, and to now receive this award, is the icing on the cake."

The centenary event at Ragley Hall had displays that included bicycles and motorcycles that also bear the Rover identity. The vehicles were displayed in a period line-up with the impressive Ragley Hall as a backdrop. As well as the many Rover product related displays, other activities included a centenary car display, auto jumbles, Ragley Hall tours and a Concours de Elegance prize competition for the most immaculate Rover car in each class. The event was organised both by the Rover Sports Register and MG Rover Group and supporting individual Rover model clubs.