7 cars not to miss at the 2024 Autosport show
The Autosport International Show at the NEC has long served as the first motorsport event of the year, allowing face-to-face encounters with the cars and characters that could define the next 12 months of racing. We’ll be heading up to Birmingham to take a look over the course of the weekend, and we've put together a quick tourist guide of everything you should make time to see if you too are making the trip.
1. Ferrari 499P
We begin with the star car of 2023, back to defend its Le Mans crown in 2024. The Ferrari 499P proved to be the dream machine with which to return to top-flight sportscar competition and it – with Ferrari GT stars James Calado and Allesandro Pier Guidi, along with F1 alum Antonio Giovanazi at the wheel –claimed top honours at the world’s most famous endurance race last year, shortly before joining us at the 2023 Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard. Calado will be in attendance with the Ferrari at the Autosport show.
2. Porsche 963
Another star car from Le Mans last year was the Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 in its stunning Singer-designed livery that for a good while was a privateer car leading Le Mans. It was arguably the highest-performing 963 if you consider performance throughout the race, even over and above the factory cars. It too joined us for the Festival of Speed shortly after the race and it too will take pride of place at ASI24. Team owner Sam Hignett will be in attendance to chat about Jota’s two-car 2024 return with Jenson Button among their enlisted pilots.
3. McLaren Solus GT
What was arguably the star of last year’s Festival of Speed, however, was the McLaren Solus GT. This dedicated track weapon packs a screaming V10 and zero adherence to any road or racing rulesets. It’s McLaren at the peak of its powers, unhinged and unrestrained. No surprise then that it took victory on the Hill. It’ll be present at ASI24, still complete as we understand it with its FOS entry sticker. Be sure to take photos and tag us!
4. M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1
ASI24 is the chosen venue for M-Sport Ford to debut its new WRC contender. The Puma Rally1 has a couple of years of competition under its belt and the updated-for-2024 version is on show for the first time at the NEC this weekend. Launched today, the car M-Sport hopes to take the squad back into WRC contention in 2024 will be on display all weekend.
5. Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3
For dedicated lovers of European GT racing a machine not often seen this side of the channel will be in attendance. Rowe Racing and their incredible (and stunningly-liveried, might we add) BMW M4 GT3 will be in town. Reward them with your attention if nothing else for the fact that coming to Autosport means they have, for a long weekend, traded the The North Vosges Regional Natural Reserve… for Solihull.
6. Prodrive P25
A road car? At Autosport? The Prodrive P25 is probably the only road legal machine to fit the billing, being a no-expense-spared tribute to the dominant Prodrive Impreza rally cars of the late 1990s. This car absolutely stunned us on its runs up the Hill at the 2022 Festival of Speed and we know how dedicated Subaru fans are even today. This is one not to miss.
7. Gobstopper 3
While we're on Subarus... Gobstopper – there’s a name we haven’t heard in a while. Often in the past associated with winning the Timed Shootout at the Festival of Speed, the long-awaited third iteration has been clapping lap records and dropping jaws in the couple of years since its reveal. At Autosport it’ll be on display on the Autoverdi stand.
FOS images by Jayson Fong and Nick Dungan
Ferrari and Porsche images courtesy of Motorsport Images
Le Mans 2023
WRC 2024
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