For the 2025 Southern Group Heritage Day, the group once again joined forces with automotive PRs to hold the biggest and best event yet.
A brilliant turnout of 24 members made the journey to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire, along with 35 PR friends.
For this year, the day received fantastic support from manufacturers, with 17 brands bringing 33 cars for members to test drive alongside the formidable-looking Iveco S-Way 580 truck, which was available for passenger rides.
These numbers mean the 2025 Heritage Day was the best supported yet, with a new record number of members in attendance along with the highest number of cars ever at the event.
2025 SGMW Heritage Day car list:
Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce
Alpine A290
BYD: Dolphin Surf, Seal, Sealion 7
Fiat 600 Hybrid 136
Ford: Escort Mexico, Puma Gen-E, Focus RS500
Genesis: Electrified GV70, Electrified G80
Honda: Civic Type-R FK2, CRX 1.6i-16, Insight
Ineos: Grenadier 1924 Station Wagon, Grenadier Quartermaster pickup
Isuzu: D-Max, D-Max AT35
Iveco S-Way 580 (Passenger rides)
Jeep Avenger 4xe The North Face Edition
Kia: Magentis, Sorento Mk2, Stinger GT-S
Mazda: CX-80, MX-5 Mk1
Renault: 4 E-Tech, Captur HEV 160hp
Suzuki: 2005 Vitara, 2012 Vitara
Toyota: C-HR PHEV, Prius PHEV, MR2 Mk2
Vauxhall Mokka E
Members cars: Americana, Italian rarities, and lightweight specials
SGMW members also turned out in force with their own personal cars on the day, with a varied mix of classics, including a Fiat X/19, a Kia Pride, and a Ford Crown Victoria. A number of true driver’s cars were also in attendance, including a very orange Caterham, a Suzuki Swift, a 1st-gen Mazda MX-5, and an Alfa Giulietta.
The modern era was equally well represented with some of the best cars sold in the past decade, including a Fiat 500 with retro-style wheels, a Porsche Macan S, and a Skoda Superb Estate.
Drum roll please, the winners of the day are…
At the end of the day’s driving fun, SGMW Secretary Chris Rees announced the winners of the day’s festivities. As is now tradition, the quiz of the day proved tougher than ever this year, with Mark Bursa winning the 2025 title with a high score of 18 correct answers from 20 questions.
While Mark finished some distance ahead of everyone else, we should also mention that several members and PRs comfortably finished with double points scores on the day.
For the 2025 Car of the Day awards, Ford took a fantastic double win. Matt Richardson took the ‘best member’s car’ title with 15 votes for his fantastic Ford Crown Victoria, a deserving winner that is both very rare and exotic in the UK.
As for the best manufacturer car, well, there was only ever going to be one winner: the stunning Ford Escort Mexico, a car that had members and PRs literally forming an orderly queue to get behind the wheel.
Read on for the full lowdown on both cars.
2002 P71 Ford Crown Victoria – Matt Richardson
We all have dream cars, and for SGMW member Matt Richardson there was only one car, the P71 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. Matt imported this gloriously green slab of American car culture from a US-based dealership. After its first registration in 2002, this Crown Victoria has only covered some 80k-odd miles under the ownership of the Motor Vehicle Department in Beachwood, Ohio, located near to the City of Cleveland.
According to Matt, for the first 15 years of its life this Crown Victoria was driven by Sergeant Anderson of the Beachwood Police Department. After this, the car was semi-retired to the city motor pool, where it continued as a loan vehicle.
When it comes to the spec, Matt confirmed as to why the P71 police spec cars are so special saying, “standard Crown Vics were built as taxis, Lincoln Town Cars, old people’s Grand Marquis versions and ’sporty’ Mercury Marauders. The police spec models can be differentiated by the ‘P71’ denomination in the VIN number, the ‘certified calibration’ marker on the speedo, and the Police Interceptor badge on the boot, although undercover models don’t get the badge. To cope with the hard life they are expected to live, they have uprated suspension with thicker anti-roll bars, tougher parts and a higher ride height to bash over kerbs; there are extra coolers for all the fluids so it can idle for hours, and the 4.6 V8 has different manifolds and a twin exhaust, making it the most powerful below the Marauder. Inside it is basic and wipe-clean and even has stab-proof seatbacks in case your rear passengers are a bit messy and not very friendly”.
Since the car’s arrival in the UK, the going hasn’t always been smooth. After a year of ownership, Matt discovered the sills were made of expanding foam and filler and had been painted so well that the car passed an MOT test, meaning new sills had to be sourced and welded in. New front wings are also needed, and Matt confirms that he has a new pair in the paint shop ready to be fitted in the near future.
On his triumph, Matt said, “Thanks to everyone who voted for the Crown Vic, I’m so glad my little slice of silliness can make people smile! I know it’s a weird dream car, but it’s partly too many movies and TV that make it seem special, but also the impressive engineering to build a car down to a low fleet price that can survive 400,000 miles of abuse, and they look and drive like nothing else. Getting voted for here shows you’re all car people, as normal folks just see a big old car. It’s definitely my best breakfast eBay purchase.”
1974 Ford Escort Mexico – Ford UK
This low-mileage example first hit the roads in May 1974 and was added to Ford’s Heritage Collection in 1987. This Mexico is an absolute minter, finished in contrasting orange paint with a vinyl roof on the outside. It was optioned with the ‘Custom Pack’ from the factory, adding velour Recaro seats and walnut facia on the dashboard.
With only 25k miles showing on the clock in its five-decade lifespan, this Escort Mexico is one of the best examples in the country.
On the day, SGMW members were eager to drive this vintage Ford, and it’s not difficult to see why. While the Escort Mexico is over five decades old, the allure of its iconic nameplate is still very strong.
But what is it like to drive a performance car from the early 1970s? Actually, it’s very good. It feels taut with a decent turn of pace about it – not surprising for a car that weighs in at under 900kg. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder may only produce 98bhp, but that’s plenty for the amount of heft it has to deal with.
On the flowing roads of the South Downs, this classic Ford was as engaging to drive as any modern car. The chassis and (very) analogue steering setup give it fantastic poise through the corners, making it feel accurate. Its ease of use also shone here, as it’s an easy car to drive quickly thanks to the well-tuned damping and that pokey engine. Adding to the experience is the excellent visibility, which is thanks to a complete lack of crash safety and minuscule front A-pillars. While some older cars drive like you’d expect for their era, the Escort Mexico is not one of them – as it feels ahead of its time to drive and is a demonstration of how good a vintage performance car can be with a Blue Oval badge attached to its nose. A magnificent thing indeed.
When asked about the win and what makes the Escort Mexico so iconic, Ford UK’s Len Keen said, “Having the car win on the day for the best manufacturer’s vehicle was testament to people’s love for the Escort as a model, and speaking to a lot of members and manufacturer representatives, most had a story to tell from their experiences, from first vehicle stories and memorable drives to being brought home from hospital following their birth on the back seat of one. It’s also a great testament to the skill and attention from the Ford Heritage team who look after the fleet and maintain these vehicles in excellent condition and reliability.”
2025 SGMW Heritage Day: Members and PRs comments on the day
While the SGMW Heritage Day is a day for members to test a wide array of new and classic cars, it’s also a great social event for PRs to mingle with each other and group members. And this year’s event was the best yet.
Group Chairman Ian Robertson gave his verdict on the day, saying, “The 2025 Southern Group of Motoring Writers Heritage and driving day was the best yet. It’s as much a networking event as a driving day and gives our members the opportunity to catch up with colleagues around the industry in a relaxed, informal setting. If there’s ever a day where you can see our members and PR colleagues acting like kids in a sweetshop, it’s our heritage and driving day. Where else would you have access to legendary cars like the Ford Escort Mexico Mk1, original Mazda MX-5, a second-generation Toyota MR2, the Honda Insight eco-champion, Kia Magentis V6, classic Suzuki Vitaras and Ford Focus RS500, all in one place? I wanted to say a huge thank you to all of the group members and PRs who attended; we really appreciate the support. We’ve already started planning for 2026, and it’s not too early for carmakers to sign up now for next year’s event!”
Group Secretary Chris Rees commented; “I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who attended the Southern Group of Motoring Writers Heritage Driving Day at Beaulieu this year. It was our biggest event ever, with 17 manufacturers, 33 cars and 59 people in attendance, including a record 24 SGMW members. We’ve received lots of great feedback from the industry. Plans are now already underway for next year’s event!”
SGMW member Phil Huff made his thoughts clear saying, “Heritage 2025 was all about the people for me, catching up with other members, PRs and industry friends, with everything from a glorious Ford Escort Mexico to an Iveco behemoth adding to the fun. It’ll be tough to top it for 2026!”
Tyler Heatley, Brand Communications, Events and PR Manager for IVECO said: “Congratulations on yet another fantastic Heritage Day. Thank you so much for making IVECO feel welcome, and to the many many members who arrived full of curiosity and enthusiasm for our IVECO S-Way. Also, my gratitude for everyone making Harry feel so welcome. He is new to attending media events, and this was a fantastic way to show what life at the sharp-end of journalism looks like. I have reported back on what an exceptionally well-executed event this is, and the huge value in introducing IVECO to such a prestigious group of writers. Everyone is thrilled that we went, and we’d love to come back next year. I’m always happy to help support members looking to cover commercial vehicles, or even do special features on some of our bigger toys.”
2025 SGMW Heritage Day: gallery
