5 of the biggest and best car shows for 2017

As winter slowly departs and the green shoots of spring make themselves known, almost every petrolhead in the UK will start looking forward to a motoring event of some kind, for car show season is upon us. There’s nothing quite like getting together with a bunch of like-minded enthusiasts to drool over each other’s prized motors, get rare glimpses at cars you could only dream of owning or watching some of the best drivers on the planet pull off extreme feats of speed. If you’re waiting like a caged animal to get out there and explore the best the motoring world has to offer, we’ve picked out five of biggest and best car shows for 2017.

1. London Motor Show

The big one. If you fancy heading to Battersea Park in May, you’ll see over 150 new cars and even get to test drive some of the latest vehicles. Expect the future of motoring and fascinating subject of connected-cars to be high on the agenda, too, mixing it with the big brands and a brilliant selection of iconic and historic vehicles. When: 5 - 7 May Where: Battersea Park Buy Tickets

2. Goodwood Festival of Speed

Proudly calling itself the largest and most famous of all car shows in the UK (we’ll let you be the judge of that), the Goodwood Festival of Speed is held over a summer weekend and celebrates the joys of motorsport. Edwardian classic cars rub shoulders with cutting edge supercars and even beasts from the world of F1. The most iconic part of the festival is arguably the famous Hill Climb, where all manner of cars compete to reach the summit quickest. A celebrity favourite, this is an event not to be missed if you have even a passing interest in cars. When: 30th June - 2nd July Where: Goodwood Estate, Cheshire Buy Tickets

3. Carfest North and South

Created by DJ/petrolhead Chris Evans, Carfest mixes live music with car exhibits and races, with plenty of stalls, rides and drinking venues thrown in for good measure. It has its own hill climb, vintage village and all the proceeds go to Children in Need. Well worth a visit. When: 28 - 30 July (North), 25-27 August (South) Where: Cheshire and Hampshire Buy Tickets

4. Classic Motor Show

Anyone who is interested in classic cars will doubtless be familiar with the Classic Motor Show. It’s been going for a considerable amount of time and is held every year at the NEC, Birmingham. Over 2,000 classic cars are packed into the exhibition hall, along with several hundred motorbikes. There’s also plenty of trade stands, featuring all manner of suppliers for everything classic car related, and most of the UK’s car clubs attend, too. When: 10 - 12 Novemebr Where: NEC Birmingham Buy Tickets

5. Motorcycle Live

Ok, so we pitched this as a car-only show rundown, but we couldn’t help ourselves throwing in at least one for the two-wheeled fanatics amongst you. Motorcycle Live is the UK’s largest motorbike show and features virtually every manufacturer you can think of, along with the opportunity to try out the latest accessories and view jaw-dropping riding displays. If you’re into thrills of the two-wheeled kind, this event is for you. When: 19 - 27 November Where: NEC Birmingham Buy Tickets It’s getting warmer, folks - get out and enjoy those cars! Image credit