Professional drivers and celebrities racing modified saloon cars on rally stages and circuits around the UK. What could be more entertaining? This was the format of the original Tour of Britain, which ran from 1973 to 1976, plus once in 1989, starring the likes of Graham Hill, James Hunt, Roger Clark, Gerry Marshall, Prince Michael of Kent and Noel Edmunds, among many others.
And now it’s back, as Rewind Tour Britain, reshaped as a historic motor sport event. The cars, from Lotus Elans to Cobras, will be road-legal on standard tyres and will run to FIA Appendix J and K regulations – and the Tour will start and finish at Thruxton, visiting tracks and stages around the country.
It’s a collaboration between Motor Racing Legends and the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), set for May 27-30, 2027. It will cover approximately 460 miles and feature four circuit races and 12 closed-road rally stages, all on tarmac, linked by public-road liaison sections and navigated by road book as well as official pace notes. Performance across all disciplines will count toward one overall result.
Competition venues will include Thruxton, Shelsley Walsh and Castle Combe, alongside special stages run across estates, hill climbs, and military ranges like Caerwent and Epynt. The highlight of the event is expected to be a special
stage at Blenheim Palace.
The event entry will be for up to 80 road-legal, production-based historic race and rally cars. Two wheel drive historic cars up to 1986 will be eligible, with a vintage class at the front of the field as well as an invitation class for spectacular Group B rally supercars. Each car will be crewed by two people for rally stages and road sections, while circuit races will be contested by a single driver. There is no separation between rally entries and race entries; every competitor takes part in every element.
The launch at Thruxton featured two previous Tour of Britain entries – a factory Mercedes 450 SLC displayed by owner Patrick Watts, former BTCC star, and a BMW 3.0S owned by Richard Colburn of Westbourne Racing. David Brabham, former F1 driver and Le Mans winner drove Joe Macari’s Goodwood-winning Ferrari 250 GT SWB, and three-time British Rally Champion Matt Edwards drove Adrian Kermode’s rally Porsche 911 SC.
Quadruple British Touring Car champion Colin Turkington was on hand, whilst 2003 World Rally Champion co-driver Phil Mills of Viking Motorsport brought his 1974 Roger Clark Welsh Rally Escort to enhance the display. Serial Flying Scotsman winner and record breaker, William Medcalf of Vintage Bentley also displayed his 1925 SuperSports Bentley.
“This is a bold event, which blends a storied past with a brand new concept,” says Shaun Lynn, chairman of Motor Racing Legends (MRL). “Rewind Tour Britain is about putting proper all-round competition back at the centre of historic
motor sport. It’s not a parade and it’s not a re-enactment. It’s a serious test that asks drivers to adapt, think and perform across everything motor sport can throw at them throughout some truly spectacular venues across the country. It will not be just the drivers though, as the teams will need good strategy and reliability.”
Ben Taylor, CEO of BARC, said: “What we have launched today is genuinely different. Bringing racing and rallying
together in one event is ambitious, but that’s exactly why it matters. Our home at Thruxton was the right place to announce it, and the response today shows there is real appetite for something that challenges convention while maintaining a strong connection to the past.”
For more information visit the Rewind Tour Britain website.
