Year 33, “The Tradition Continues!”
Year thirty-three of the British Invasion featured perfect weather for the Friday Street Party and warm weather & clear skies for Saturday and Sunday in Stowe, VT.
With Rolls-Royce & Bentley, Austin-Healey & MG as our featured marques, we enjoyed an impressive turnout. Enthusiasts drove in from North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland, Western New York State, Pennsylvania, Ontario, Quebec Canada, Nova Scotia, and other points on the Compass as well. A review of the WINNERS Roster on Britishinvasion.com will reveal the home base for our Award Winners.
The Concours d’Elegance featured a 1909 Rolls-Royce, Silver Ghost owned by Jay Miller of Little Compton, RI. Jay earned a well-deserved Best of Concours with a motorcar that was in Like-as-New condition. Malcolm Appleton & Barbara Stratton of Granville, VT earned a Preservation Award and TV Coverage with their 1932 MG M -Type Special Race Car.
The Concours d’Elegance, our Judged Competition, challenges owners not only to compete against other entrants, but also against a Code of Excellence which sets the minimum score required to be awarded a Third, a Second, or a First Place Award.
A complete roster of all the Winners at British Invasion XXXIII is available for your viewing pleasure on the British Invasion Website (www.Britishinvasion.com).
As the largest All British Motorcar Show in the Eastern United States, we managed to field over 500 British Motorcars on Saturday, of which several had paid a premium to register on Friday afternoon for either the British Classic Motorcar Show (People’s Choice) or the Car Corral.
The British Classic Motorcar Show, (People’s Choice) is where the vast majority of our entrants are located. We had 61 separate classes and presented 130 Awards to Class Winners. Our Best of Show Award in the British Classic, (People’s Choice Competition) went to Bill Tattersall & Dana Mason of Frankford, DE and their 1948 Triumph 2000 Roadster (Car #135)
We enjoyed the Sponsorship of JE Robison Service and Enfield Restoration with a display of motorcars. Also Moss Motors & Hemmings Motor Cars were sponsors this year.
Hemmings produced an impressive article complete with pictures on British Invasion 2024. Their story is live at hemmings.com:
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/mgs-rolls-royces-and-much-more-at-the-32nd-british-invasion.
We enjoyed Television Coverage with “WCAX TV” https://www.wcax.com/video/2024/09/22/33rd-annual-british-invasion-rolled-into-stowe-this-weekend, and coverage with the “Stowe Reporter” https://www.vtcng.com/stowetoday/family_fun/british-invasion-2024/collection_a4e832f4-7c2e-11ef-8d65-9f2dbb5886e7.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share#1.
Roger Allard of Montreal, Quebec, Canada with his 2023 Allard J2X-MK III Roadster generated a lot of interest with Registrants and Fellow Enthusiasts alike.
We were pleased to welcome Miss Vermont and Miss Teenage Vermont to the British Invasion as well as representation from the British Consul General’s Office in Boston.
The British Invasion Heritage Award is presented to celebrate the passage of ownership of a British Classic from Father to Son or daughter with continued registration at the British Invasion. This year we recognized two twins, Richard & Colin Caron of Westborough, MA who have been attending the British Invasion since they were 5 months old with their father and grandfather and this year registered their 1989 Jaguar XJS in the British Classic.
For 2024 we featured the Alchemist Brewery of Stowe, VT as our Beer & Wine Sponsor for the Friday Registrants Reception in the Queen’s Court Tent. The Alchemist is best known for producing “Heady Topper,” the #1 IPA beer in the market. The Alchemist was a huge hit with our Registrants.
We are pleased to report that the American Cancer Society, who managed General Admission Parking, raised a respectable amount of money for their cause during the Invasion Weekend as they managed General Admission Parking.
We enjoyed lots of positive feedback with reference to our presentation of Classic British Invasion Music as well as the offerings presented by our food vendors. There were multiple sales reported in the British Car Corral.
Sunday started with a large following of British Motorcars for the morning “Notch Run.” We attracted over 30 Motorcars who followed along behind my ’47 Bentley as we climbed over Smuggler’s Notch and managed a 70-minute rural Vermont morning run. Meanwhile back at the Show Field, Entrants were setting up for the “Competition of Colors” and also for the “Tailgate Picnic Competition”, as well as a rolling review of Class Winners from the Saturday British Classic.
We owe a special debt of gratitude to the all our Event Team Members and volunteers who made the British Invasion the success it was as they helped with Field layout, Show Car Parking, Registration, Regalia Sales, General Admission, Concours Judging, Ballot Counting, the Awards Program, the Queen’s Court, the Trash Detail and then the breaking down of the show field and packing up. We can always use additional staff on our Event Team. Once home everything needs to be unpacked, inventoried, and re-prepped for the next Invasion Weekend.
As you mark your calendar for British Invasion XXXIV, please note that in 2025, in order to help ensure room availability and some extra time after the Labor Day Holiday Weekend, we have focused on the weekend of the 3rd Saturday in the Month of September (19th to the 21st). 2025 will mark year number 34 for the British Invasion. The featured marques will be Triumph, Lotus, Mini and Aston-Martin.
To all who attended and helped to make British Invasion XXXIII a memorable weekend in scenic Stowe, Vermont over the past Thirty-Three years we say, “Thank You”. We wish you many miles of carefree and enjoyable touring in your British Classic.
Michael F. Gaetano
Event Organizer
British Invasion, Inc.
(The “British Invasion” is a registered Trademark)