One hundred years since the first British Grand Prix, this summer will see a Brooklands Grand Prix Centenary event featuring 100 special cars.
Taking place on Saturday, August 8, 2026, the celebration will see historic cars put through their paces on the remaining section of the 2.75-mile Brooklands circuit, while more recent cars will be demonstrated on the nearby Mercedes-Benz World test track.
“It’s going to be a wonderful occasion and a very apt celebration to mark the 100 years of Grand Prix racing in Great Britain,” said Alex Patterson, chief executive of Brooklands Museum. “The Brooklands GP race in 1926 was fraught with danger and bravery, laying the foundation for Britain’s successful motor sport industry. Paying tribute to that watershed moment in time, this summer’s very special day will feature what’s certainly one of the biggest and most comprehensive collections of Grand Prix cars ever seen and, with many of those performing, it’s going to be a truly fitting tribute.”
Brooklands was established in the Surrey countryside through the determination of Hugh and Ethel Locke King, whose vision produced something the world had not yet seen. When the circuit opened in 1907 it became the first purpose-built, banked motor-racing track ever – a concrete amphitheatre for speed at a time when road racing had been prohibited on the British mainland. In short order Brooklands became the epicentre of British motoring ambition, its steep banking echoing not only with the sound of racing engines but also to the experimental flights of the early aviators who shared the site.
By 1926 it was the obvious stage for the Royal Automobile Club to host Britain’s first official Grand Prix. The organisers devised a special circuit that combined long sections of Brooklands’ vast outer banking with temporary chicanes formed from earthworks along the finishing straight – testing speed and mechanical endurance.
On Saturday August 7, 1926, nine Grand Prix machines took the start before a considerable crowd. Four hours later the honours belonged to the Delage 15-S-8 of Louis Wagner and Robert Sénéchal. Malcolm Campbell, already a rising figure in British motor sport, secured second place in his Bugatti 39A.
A second Royal Automobile Club Grand Prix followed at Brooklands in 1927, again claimed by Delage. Two further races bearing the Grand Prix title were later staged at Donington Park during the late 1930s, although these were not part of the official RAC series.
War would ultimately bring racing at Brooklands to an end. As conflict spread across Europe, the circuit was absorbed into Britain’s aircraft industry. Hawker and Vickers extended their works across the concrete straights where racing cars had once thundered, and by the time peace returned in 1945 more than 18,000 aircraft – including Hurricanes and Wellington bombers – had been assembled on the site.
When Brooklands fell silent after World War Two, British motor racing migrated to the broad concrete runways and perimeter roads of the many RAF airfields left behind by the conflict. Among these improvised circuits, Silverstone quickly emerged as the most significant. The former RAF base hosted Britain’s first post-war Grand Prix in 1948 and, just two years later, staged the first points-scoring race of the newly created Formula 1 World Championship. In the decades that followed, the British Grand Prix would also visit Aintree and Brands Hatch before Silverstone became its permanent home in 1987.
Although racing ceased at Brooklands itself, its legacy endured. Large sections of the historic circuit have since been preserved by the Brooklands Museum Trust, while the surrounding area became the nucleus of Britain’s post-war motor sport industry. Teams such as Connaught, Cooper, Brabham and Tyrrell established themselves nearby in Surrey, and today the reigning Formula 1 World Champion, McLaren, remains based just a few miles away in Woking.
Adult tickets are £39.95 when purchased in advance. Admission for accompanied children aged 4-17 is £19.95, while children under four enter free. Members may also purchase tickets for an exclusive VIP preview evening on the Friday, and can attend on Saturday for £19.95 (£9.95 for children) – a special rate that includes an official show guide.
More details on the Brooklands GP celebration can be found here.
