Britain’s newest contributor to the high-end Concours d’elegance scene, Auto Royale, has formally announced the first special class in its inaugural British International Concours d’Elegance.
The Dorothy Levitt Award is believed to be the first award at a British Concours to recognize the achievements of women in classic motoring and will be presented in a special class to the best car entered by a female collector.
It is anticipated that at least ten entries will hotly contest the award, with their pristine automobiles ranging in style from a 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50 Tourer to a 1968 Ferrari 330 GTC.
“The Dorothy Levitt Award is completely in keeping with Auto Royale’s positioning as a motoring event, to champion inclusion and diversity in a beautiful, international setting. Dorothy Levitt was one of many exceptional women who pioneered motoring around the world, and her legacy continues today,” said Event Director, Paul Mathers.
“The depth of the field already entered in this class demonstrates that the role of women in classic motoring today is more important than it has ever been, and probably overdue for acknowledgment. Auto Royale is just proud to play a small part.”
Dorothy Levitt, was Britain’s original female racing driver, racing both cars and boats between 1903 and 1908. Perhaps her finest hour was in 1905 when she beat out the men to win the Daily Mail Sweepstake at Brighton Speed Trials and set a women’s land speed record of 92mph.
Driving a Napier, she was victorious in the Southport and Blackpool Speed Trials and slashed minutes off the ladies’ record at the Shelsey Walsh hill climb. For a time, she was celebrated widely as “the fastest girl on Earth”
The Dorothy Levitt Award is sponsored by The Driven Collective, who will be joined on the day by none other than Gina Campbell, daughter of Donald Campbell, granddaughter of Sir Malcolm Campbell, and Women’s World Speed Record holder in her own right.
The Driven Collective is a rising voice in the classic motoring movement and the talent within it has some roll call. Founder, Leah Guilliard-Watts runs an Oxfordshire-based Jensen workshop and is about to embark on restoring her own classic car.
Charlotte Vowden is an automotive journalist and Historic Motoring Awards winner, while Amy Shore is one of the most in-demand automotive photographers in the world.
“We are super-excited about partnering with Auto Royale to present the Dorothy Levitt Award in what will be the Collective’s first major sponsorship of a Concours d’elegance”, said Guilliard-Watts. “Women play such an important part in the historic motoring movement, and the Driven Collective is a space where all people can learn, develop and build their skills. By assisting the next generation, it is not only continuing to promote equality and inclusive diversity in the sector, but it is also propelling a level playing field without the rhetoric. It’s genuinely refreshing that a major event has chosen not only to support us but encourage our automotive passions. After all, we are all in this together”.
The inaugural Auto Royale will take place at Waddesdon Manor, near Aylesbury from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th July 2021. More than 100 rare and collectible cars will grace the lawns of the former Rothschild pile, complemented by a motoring expo with more than 70 exhibitors, award-winning street food concessions, three bars, live entertainment, and VIP hospitality.
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