26 July 2025
Sponsored by:
The 4th Horseless Carriage Exhibition
- Date2/3 August 2025
- LocationThe Pantiles
- PriceFree to attend
Celebrating 130 years of motoring in Royal Tunbridge Wells
The spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent can trace its roots back many centuries, the impressive sandstone rock formation at High Rocks and discovery of the Chalybeate Spring in 1606 have always attracted great interest from visitors far and wide.
Perhaps a lesser known chapter in its history is the ‘Horseless Carriage Exhibition’ hosted by the Mayor of the town Sir David Salomons on 15th October 1895 at the Tunbridge Wells Agricutural Showground. This ground-breaking event drew large crowds of over 6,000 people and crowned the town as the birthplace of the British Motorshow.
The event was widely reported in the inaugural issue of ‘The Autocar’, the world’s longest established automotive publication, firmly establishing the town as major motoring hub which inspired the rapid growth of specialist motor dealers, auctioneers, coachbuilders and motor engineering workshops.
Join us and celebrate the 130th anniversary of this seminal moment in motoring history on the Pantiles this August as we take a journey through time with an eye watering display of cars and motorcycles from 1895 to the current day, kindly exhibited by ten local specialists held in support of local charity, Taylor-Made Dreams.
The organising committee are delighted to bring you the Royal Tunbridge Wells Festival of Motoring 2025, in association with Octane Magazine. This event continues Tunbridge Wells’s rich automotive history by hosting the town’s 4th Horseless Carriage Exhibition, and will be held on The Pantiles on 2nd/3rd August 2025.
We warmly welcome you join us for this forthcoming automotive spectacle, which is open to the public with free admission for all and held in support of local charity Taylor-Made Dreams, as we celebrate the 130th Anniversary of the inaugural ‘Horseless Carriage Exhibition’ of 1895. That event in Tunbridge Wells is acknowledged as the very first motor show in the United Kingdom.
The event will also celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Frant-based JOTA Sport, whose Hertz Team JOTA racing and engineering outfit run the Works Cadillac effort in the FIA World Endurance Championship. This local world-class organisation will be proudly displaying one of its front-running 2025 Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh Hypercars, fresh from the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
We are extremely grateful for the support of the Tunbridge Wells Motor Club (TWMC) founded in 1911, the Tunbridge Wells Together Business Improvement District, Adrian Harrington Books and the support of our Kent and Sussex based local automotive exhibitors.
This spectacular event will demonstrate the evolution of 130 years of motoring with some magnificent cars and motorcycles on display, and showcase the breadth of internationally recognised automotive excellence within the local area. We look forward seeing you all there.
Exhibitors include:
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Photo Credit: Tim Scott
Saturday: 10am - 6pm
Sunday: 10am - 4pm
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