2025 International Historic Motoring Awards winners announced

The classic car world once again held its International Historic Motoring Awards (IHMA), presented by Lockton and held at the Peninsula London hotel on November 14th, getting bigger and better each year.

This year’s winners were announced in front of more than 390 guests at a sold-out ceremony, and the evening was hosted by renowned broadcaster and racing driver Amanda Stretton.

David Lillywhite, Editorial Director of IHMA organizers Hothouse Media, said: “The classic car world continues to defy economic trends. The events get bigger and better every year, the restoration companies and specialists set the quality of work higher and higher, and the owners themselves continue to indulge in their passions for the driving and ownership of these remarkable cars. The industry is thriving, and the record attendance of the International Historic Motoring Awards from all around the world is further proof of that.”

Highlights of the Awards included:

Star appearance by legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro
The one-off 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Jet on display
Guests from around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, USA, UAE, Japan and Europe
Celebrity guests including US TV star Wayne Carini, male model David Gandy and comedian Paul Smith
Over £7m worth of cars on display outside and inside the venue
Representatives from the worlds of collector car restoration, events, motor sport, sales, manufacturing and more
More than £20,000 was raised at the event for Sir Jackie Stewart’s Race Against Dementia charity

Legendary and proflific designer Giorgetto Giugario was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, for his seven decades as one of the most influential automotive designers of all time.

Giugiaro was responsible not just for many of the most iconic cars of the last 70 years but also for motorcycles, watches, furniture, cameras, and even pasta and a cathedral organ. His best-known car designs include the original VW Golf and Fiat Panda, the Maserati Ghibli and the Lotus Esprit. At the awards, he was reunited with the one-off Aston Martin DB4 GT Jet, which he said he last saw when it was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961.

Other highlights included the Personal Achievement of the Year award, presented to Tomas de Vargas Machuca for his 37-day, 14,899km drive through 12 countries from Paris to Peking in a 1925 Bentley, and the presentation of the Industry Supporter of the Year to the Heritage Skills Academy, which trains young people in traditional car restoration skills.
Geoff Love, Managing Director of IHMA organizers Hothouse Media, said: “The IHMA’s near-400 crowd and our winners from across the world made one thing clear: historic motoring is in very good hands. Yes, we celebrate the past, but it’s the fresh thinking, the new generations coming through and the incredible craft on display that give this world its real momentum.” 

2025 IHMA winners

• Lifetime Achievement - Giorgetto Giugiaro
• Car of the Year - Ford Escort Alan Mann 68 Edition by Boreham Motorworks
• Bespoke Car of the Year sponsored by Octane magazine - Eagle Lightweight GTR
• Restoration of the Year sponsored by the Classic Car Register - Hispano-Suiza H6C ‘Boulogne’ by Jonathan Wood
• Motoring Event of the Year sponsored by Nyetimber - Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week
• Motorsport Event of the Year sponsored by Revs Institute - Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
• Breakthrough Event of the Year - The Royal Automobile Club Concours
• Race Series of the Year - Endurance Racing Legends
• Rally or Tour of the Year - Tour de Corse Historique (Modus Vivendi)
• Museum or Collection of the Year sponsored by Magneto magazine - Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
• Specialist of the Year sponsored by Castrol Classic Oils - Tom Hartley Jnr
• Club of the Year sponsored by Lockton Performance - Aston Martin Owners Club
• Book of the Year - Power Unleashed: Trailblazers who Energised Engines with Supercharging and Turbocharging, by Karl Ludvigsen (Evro)
• Personal Achievement of the Year sponsored by Petersen Automotive Museum - Tomas de Vargas Machuca for driving the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge solo
• Rising Star of the Year - Ethan Blake-Jones, Paddock Speedshop
• Digital Media of the Year - Petersen Automotive Museum
• Industry Supporter of the Year - Heritage Skills Academy

Each category (except for Lifetime Achievement and Car of the Year) was judged by a distinguished panel of experts and prominent figures from the motoring world. The judges included TV stars Jay Leno, Wayne Carini and Donald Osborne, Le Mans legend Derek Bell and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance chairman Sandra Button.

The Car of the Year was voted for by members of the public including readers of Octane and Magneto magazines.

The esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award was decided by a panel of experts appointed by Hothouse Media.

2025 IHMA winners explained

Lifetime Achievement - Giorgetto Giugiaro: Giorgetto Giugiaro is one of the all-time greats of design, responsible not just for many of the most iconic cars of the last 70 years but also for motorcycles, watches, furniture, cameras,  and even pasta and a cathedral organ. His best known car designs include the original VW Golf and Fiat Panda, the Maserati Ghibli, the Lotus Esprit and the Aston Martin DB4 GT Jet.

Car of the Year

Shortlist

• Sunbeam 350hp ‘Blue Bird’
• Alfa Corse Alfa Romeo 158
• Hispano-Suiza H6C Nieuport-Astra Torpedo
• Mercedes-Benz W196R Stromlinienwagen
• Boreham Motorworks  Alan Mann 68 Edition
• Alfa Romeo Tipo B (P3)
• BRM P5781 ‘Old Faithful’

Winner

Ford Escort Alan Mann 68 Edition by Boreham Motorworks

This perfect recreation of one of the greatest British Saloon Car racers of all time is fully backed by the Ford Motor Company and approved for historic racing by the FIA. Unlike the other awards, it was chosen by the public, attracting a record 6000 votes.

Bespoke Car of the Year sponsored by Octane magazine

Shortlist

• R33 Stradale by Automotive Artisans
• Alan Mann 68 Edition by Boreham Motorworks
• Rolls-Royce Corniche ‘Henry II’ by Niels van Roij Design
• Wood & Pickett Mini by CALLUM
• Lightweight GTR by Eagle
• Veloce12 Barchetta by Touring Superleggera
• Battista Novantacinque by Pininfarina
• Batur Convertible 'One-Plus-One’ by Bentley Mulliner

Winner

• Eagle Lightweight GTR

Eagle’s three decades of restoring and developing Jaguar E-types, and its obsessive attention to detail, resulted in the stunning sub-1000kg high-performance Lightweight GTR.

Restoration of the Year sponsored by the Classic Car Register

Shortlist

• Jaguar C-type by Tony Purnell / Pendine / CKL Developments
• Aston Martin Two Litre Sports by RS Williams
• Hispano-Suiza H6C Type Sport Torpedo by RM Auto Restoration
• Ferrari 410 Superamerica by Paul Russell & Company
• Hispano-Suiza H6C ‘Boulogne’ by Jonathan Wood
• Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Alloy by Tom Hartley Jnr
• Siata 208 CS Balbo by RX Autoworks

Winner

• Hispano-Suiza H6C ‘Boulogne’ by Jonathan Wood

Owner Simon Kidston’s very personal quest to restore the car his uncle once owned and restorer Jonathan Wood’s dedication to the task saw the H6C Boulogne take the prize.

Motoring Event of the Year sponsored by Nyetimber

Shortlist

• The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering
• The Amelia Concours
• The Bridge
• Salon Privé
• ModaMiami
• The Aurora
• Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week
• Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

Winner

• Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week

The judges were impressed not just by the quality of the world-class concours but also by the wide breadth of events that Audrain organises throughout its Motoring Week.

Motorsport Event of the Year sponsored by Revs Institute

Shortlist

• Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
• Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
• Le Mans Classic
• Silverstone Festival (including the World Champions Collection)

Winner

• Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

The way that this long-running event has upped its game caught the attention of the judges, with this year’s IROC reunion and 75th anniversary of the Formula 1 championship adding to the appeal for 2025.

Breakthrough Event of the Year

Shortlist

• The Royal Automobile Club Concours
• Concours of Slovakia
• Pearl of India Rally
• The Ayrburn Classic
• Icons Mallorca

Winner

• The Royal Automobile Club Concours

The quality of the Royal Automobile Club’s first ever concours at its Woodcote House headquarters in Surrey won over the IHMA judges.

Race Series of the Year

Shortlist

• Super Sprint (Equipe Classic Racing)
• Alfa Revival Cup (Canossa Events)
• Endurance Racing Legends (Peter Auto)
• GT & Sports Car Cup (Automobiles Historique)
• IROC (IROC Holdings
• Silverline (Formula Junior Historic Racing Association

Winner

• Endurance Racing Legends

Peter Auto’s Endurance Racing Legends has successfully opened up historic racing to a new generation of drivers, owners and spectators with the crowd-pleasing GTs and prototypes from the 1990s and 2000s.

Rally or Tour of the Year

Shortlist

• Tour de Corse Historique (Modus Vivendi)
• Terre di Canossa Rally (Canossa Events)
• Flying Scotsman (HERO-ERA)
• Rallye des Princesses (Peter Auto)
• Oman Classics 2025 (HK-Engineering)

Winner

• Tour de Corse Historique (Modus Vivendi)

This year’s 25th Tour de Corse Historique saw a record 420 cars attacking a record 22 special stages across five legs, with entries including several former works drivers and cars – an amazing eight-day celebration of Corsica’s illustrious rallying history.

Museum or Collection of the Year sponsored by Magneto magazine

Shortlist

• Silverstone Museum
• Petersen Automotive Museum
• National Motor Museum (Beaulieu)
• Autoworld (Brussels)
• Museo Alfa Romeo
• Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

Winner

• Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum

With a complete refit, adding a new mezzanine area and opening up the basement for extra galleries, plus state-of-the-art interactive features, 2025 was the revamped Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum’s year.

Specialist of the Year sponsored by Castrol Classic Oils

Shortlist

• Tom Hartley Jnr
• HK-Engineering
• RM Sotheby's
• Rally Preparation Services
• Aston Martin Works
• Lamborghini Polo Storico

Winner

• Tom Hartley Jnr

Having sold the Bernie Ecclestone collection of Formula 1 cars followed by Mansour Ojjeh’s impressive supercar collection, while also building an impressive new base in the Cotswold’s, this was a year like no other for specialist dealer Tom Hartley Jnr.

Club of the Year sponsored by Lockton Performance

Shortlist

• Aston Martin Owners Club
• Vintage Sports-Car Club
• MG Car Club
• Porsche Club GB

Winner

• Aston Martin Owners Club

The Aston Martin Owners Club has worked hard this year to bring in a new generation of members and increase its overseas membership, along with creating spectacular 90th anniversary celebrations.

Book of the Year

Shortlist

• Spy Octane: The Vehicles of James Bond, by Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury (Porter Press International)
• Joseph Figoni: Le Grand Couturier de la Carrosserie Automobile Vol. II-IV: Bugatti, by Peter M Larsen and Ben Erickson (Moteurs!)
• Power Unleashed: Trailblazers who Energised Engines with Supercharging and Turbocharging, by Karl Ludvigsen (Evro)
• Twice Around the Clock – The Yanks at Le Mans Vol IV-V, by Tim Considine (David Bull)
• The Aston Martin ‘Project’ GT Racing Cars, by Stephen Archer and David Tremayne (Palawan Press)

Winner

• Power Unleashed: Trailblazers who Energised Engines with Supercharging and Turbocharging, by Karl Ludvigsen (Evro)

This life’s work by Karl Ludvigsen on the history and impact of supercharging and turbocharging was rewarded for its depth of information and high quality of presentation.

Personal Achievement of the Year sponsored by Petersen Automotive Museum

Shortlist

• Guy Moerenhout for establishing the SQUADRA Abarth & Rally Collection museum
• Luigi Orlandini for the success and expansion of Canossa Events
• Tomas de Vargas Machuca for driving the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge solo
• Fritz Burkhard for driving a Bugatti Atalante 4000 miles to display it at Pebble Beach

Winner

• Tomas de Vargas Machuca

Tomas’s record-breaking 37-day, 14,899km drive through 12 countries from Paris to Peking in a 1925 Bentley was undoubtedly one of the most heroic drives of all time.

Rising Star of the Year

Shortlist

• Ethan Blake-Jones (Paddock Speedshop)
• William Garrett (Hilton & Moss)
• Alex Hearnden (96 Engineering)
• Will Marsh (VSCC)

Winner

• Ethan Blake-Jones, Paddock Speedshop

Ethan Blake-Jones’s dedication to creating a youthful perspective on classic cars with Paddock Speedshop TV stood out for the judges, even in this inspirational shortlist of young achievers.

Digital Media of the Year

Shortlist

• The Late Brake Show (Jonny Smith)
• Richard Hammond’s Workshop (Richard Hammond / Chimp Television)
• Harry’s Garage (Harry Metcalfe)
• Jay Leno’s Garage (Jay Leno)
• Petersen Automotive Museum, video and social media
• Vintage Velocity podcast (VSCC)
• Hagerty Media, multi-media platform

Winner

• Petersen Automotive Museum

The judges chose the Petersen Automotive Museum for its wide breadth of contents across several channels and the in-depth knowledge it’s sharing on a very limited budget.

Industry Supporter of the Year

Shortlist

• BMW Group Classic
• Heritage Skills Academy
• Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance
• Association of Heritage Engineers
• Motul
• Piston Foundation
• Mercedes-Benz Heritage

Winner

• Heritage Skills Academy

Heritage Skills Academy has worked extra hard this year not just to train its students in all aspects of classic car restoration and maintenance, but also to publicise its work with – among others – an inspirational display of skills at the 2025 Goodwood Revival.