All to Preserve and Drive the Triumph
British Car Day®
We look forward to welcoming you to British Car Day® on Sunday 17th September 2023
Photo courtesy of Ian Grant
Some Background on Our Event
British Car Day® is hosted annually by the Toronto Triumph Club, on the third Sunday of September. Since its inaugural event in 1984 it has grown in leaps and bounds and now draws more than 1,000 British cars and over 9,000 spectators, with room to grow even bigger. British Car Day® is open to vintage, classic and current British-manufactured vehicles, including motorcycles. The event is the largest, one-day, all-British car event in North America, with car owners and visitors travelling from Ontario, the northeast United States, the Maritime provinces, Quebec and Manitoba. Over the years, we have even had visitors from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Texas, the UK, and New Zealand.
The venue for British Car Day® is Bronte Creek Provincial Park in Oakville, about 25 miles west of downtown Toronto, conveniently located at the Burloak Drive exit off the Queen Elizabeth Way. The south entrance is for non-British cars & spectators, while the north entrance is reserved for British car exhibitors and vendors.
Every year one of the most popular destinations at British Car Day® is the Vendor Village area. Over 50 British-related vendors offer their new and used goods for sale, including car parts, complete cars, t-shirts, hats, tools, books, supplies and so on. Many vendors offer end-of-season specials, so there are lots of bargains to be had and great food is available from the many food vendors on site. If you are interested in becoming a vendor please contact us.
BCD comprises almost 60 classes of cars and motorcycles, running the whole range of British automobile marques from Austin to Westfield with model names from Anglia to Zephyr and everything in between. The organizers encourage everyone to bring along their British cars whether they be current model cars, daily drivers, partially restored cars or projects-in-progress, to line up with the many classic and concours-class cars in the appropriate marque and model class. British Car Day® is the opportunity everyone anticipates to chat, to scrutinize, and to plan for next year. It’s a car show but it is also a big, end of season, social event.
Notable British car anniversaries in 2023 include 100 years of Triumph Motor cars and 100 years of MG and as a result there will be special focus on these two popular British marques. Examples of these fine British marques will be located on the show car field..
What happened in 2022?
Last year, after 2 long years of COVID restrictions, we enjoyed a great British Car Day® where there were 1,062 cars and motorbikes on the field. Congratulations to those of you who won a Participants’ Choice Award; a complete listing of winners is shown on this page.
The Best of Show car, selected by a panel of judges headed by Toronto Triumph Club member Tony Fox, was a spectacular 1955 Sunbeam Alpine owned by Milt Chesterman of Tillsonburg, Ontario. Congratulations to Milt and many thanks to our team of judges for selecting this British gem. It was a herculean task for Keith Smout, John Burrows, John Roden and David Tushingham to select the winning car from the many fantastic cars on the field! Special mention To Michael Cleland who piped the Sunbeam into the winner’s circle.
Winner of the Charlie Conquergood Award this year, which is presented to a club member who has exhibited long-term dedication to Toronto Triumph Club, was David Tushingham. Tush, past President of Toronto Triumph Club and former Chairman of British Car Day is a superstar on YouTube and has his own channel which meticulously captures rebuilds of a TR6, TR250, TR3 and much more. Check this out … https://www.youtube.com/user/cheftush?app=desktop Congratulations on the award Tush and also for winning the top prize for your newly finished TR250.
For the third year we presented a Long Distance Award for pre-registered cars driven (not trailered) to British Car Day®. The winner was Rod Patriquin who drove his 1959 Singer Gazelle some 1,397 miles from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Well done Rod!
You can view details of some of our previous British Car Day® Feature Cars by using the below button.
The executive and members of the Toronto Triumph Club, together with the organizing committee look forward to welcoming you to the 38th British Car Day® which is scheduled for 17th September 2023.
Dave Sims
Chairman, British Car Day®
Latest News
Participation at BCD is open to any British manufactured vehicle regardless of membership in a British car club. Owners are encouraged to bring along their British cars, whether they be current model cars, daily drivers, partially restored cars, projects-in-progress or concours level models. The only stipulation is that your car is British or that is was manufactured and/or designed in the UK.
Event Flyer
Participant Registration
On-line registration via FAST LANE will be available in May. In the event that British Car Day is cancelled entry fees will be fully refunded. However you can still pay on the day. Here’s the registration form which you can complete and bring with you to British Car Day. Cost at the gate will be $25 for a car and $15 for a motorcycle.
Fast Lane Registration
Vendor Registration
Warren Beech
Spectators
An agenda for the day is attached but in summary Vendors arrive at 7 a.m., Show Cars at 8 a.m. and Spectators at 9 a.m. The Awards Ceremonies are at 2 p.m. and cars start leaving at 3 p.m. for the long trek home
Spectators should enter the park via the main park entrance on Burloak Drive, please follow the signs. The entry fee to the park for spectators is $18 per car (or you can use a Parks Ontario season pass). Seniors are $14.50 and Disabled $9.00. There is no limit on the number of people in the car. Please pay using cash if possible, as use of credit/debit cards really slows down entry to the park and causes long line-ups. Arriving early will help alleviate any delays. There is no entry charge for pedestrians and bicycles.
If you are driving a car for display at British Car Day, please follow the signs carefully and use the north maintenance entrance at the corner of Burloak Drive, where it turns into Upper Middle Road. Money collected at the show car entrance goes towards putting on the show and supporting the Toronto Triumph Club, a non-profit organization. Attached is a copy of the agenda for the day.
Location Map
Want to Stay In The Oakville Area?
If you are driving to British Car Day from out of town, there are several hotels close by Bronte Creek Provincial Park. visit Oakville will arrange some great deals at local hotels in 2023 for BCD attendees.
British Car Day Regalia
Email Addresses
Results
The Charlie Conquergood Memorial Award
Charlie Conquergood was a friend to all and a staunch supporter of the Toronto Triumph Club and British Car Day. Charlie passed away on March 9, 2009 from cancer. He was always there to help and happy to do so. He never complained and most of all was well known and loved by many people throughout our hobby. Over the years he touched the hearts – and cars – of many.
Charlie took on many roles within the TTC including a term as President. He was instrumental in developing and computerising the master plan for the lay out of the various marques and models and vendor stalls at British Car Day and for many years would personally be involved in the laying out of the field on the Saturday morning before BCD.
Each year, his friends at the Toronto Triumph Club award a special commemorative plaque in recognition of Charlie’s passing and his unreserved devotion to his wife Sandy, his family and faithful Triumph Spitfire ‘Gumby’.
The recipient of the award is decided by the Executive Committee of the TTC and their decision is based on members who have demonstrated a similar devotion and dedication to the Club and as a reflection of the life values and spirit of friendship, which Charlie Conquergood always shared with us.
At the 37th British Car Day, the Charlie Conquergood Award was presented to long-time member, David Tushingham (Tush) of New Market, ON. Tush has been President of Toronto Triumph Club and Chairman of British Car Day®. He owns mant Triumphs including TR3s, TR4s, TR250 and TR8 many of which he has totally rebuilt. Congratulations to Tush from all of your many friends at the TTC!