Nearly 800 supercar owners, as part of the UK’s premier supercar club Drivers Union, have voted for their favourite high-performance vehicles, specialists and personalities in the club’s annual awards.
Members were asked to put forward nominations in categories as varied as Supercar of the Year or Automotive YouTube Channel of the Year, before the shortlist was put to a final member vote. No other awards so closely reflect the feelings of the UK’s supercar-owning community.
In the Supercar of the Year category, the Ferrari F8 Tributo was crowned overall winner from an enormously competitive shortlist that included the Bugatti Chiron and Lamborghini Huracán EVO. Ultimately it was the F8 Tributo, with a 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 called the best engine in 20 years by International of the Year Awards, that was triumphant.
Awarding not just the top high performance vehicles, but also the people that sell and maintain them, the Drivers Union members praised their favourite Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren dealerships. In the world of the Prancing Horse, Jardine Ferrari Colchester was voted the best, while H.R. Owen Lamborghini London was voted best retailer of Raging Bulls and McLaren London picked up the title for the top McLaren retailer.
Classic and supercar specialist, Bell Sport & Classic picked up a double win as both Specialist Car Dealer of the Year and Specialist Servicing Company of the Year, besting the likes of GTO Engineering, DK Engineering and Barkaways in the process. Today, Bell Sport & Classic offer a broad range of expertise across many classic and modern performance brands, from restorations of vintage Ferraris to sales and storage of the latest hypercars.
Event of the Year went to the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, at which Drivers Union members displayed a line-up of the latest supercars. They sat nestled in the Palace’s historic Fountain Gardens amidst some of the rarest classic cars from all over the world, during what has quickly become the UK’s premier concours d’elegance event.
In the world of media, Evo Magazine got members’ votes as the best automotive title for its mix of original stories and unwavering passion for the supercar subject. Harry’s Garage became the Automotive YouTube Channel of the Year, bringing Harry Metcalfe’s encyclopaedic knowledge and collection of jaw-dropping vehicles to hundreds-of-thousands of viewers each week, while Mr. JWW was the members’ favourite Instagrammer of the Year. Following his record-equalling seventh Formula One World Championship win, Lewis Hamilton, was unequivocally named as the club’s Personality of the Year.
The Drivers Union prides itself on its close-knit community, building friendships and pioneering good causes as well as allowing members to indulge their love of supercars. As a result, the members themselves are the subject of a number of awards, recognising both their passion and their willingness to make a difference. The following awards were picked by the club’s founder, Syeed Ali:
Arctic Award
Stephen Stevens
For driving his Mk3 AC Cobra from Essex to Salon Prive at Blenheim Palace on a bitterly cold Sunday morning with no hat or appropriate clothing.
Best Members Car
Dave Eaton & John Hartland
Dave and John built a replica of an Icon 917K, with body panels based on David Piper’s original car and the engine/gearbox from an air-cooled Porsche 911.
Spirit of the Union Award
Awarded to members who have made a difference
Peter Dietsch & Garry Atkins
For arranging weekend use of a Ferrari 355 to a terminally ill man whose bucket list wish was to drive a Ferrari for one last time.
Darren Nash
For organising six Ferraris to attend a children’s hospice on a Sunday morning. One of the residents, Kasper (age 13) wished to see a group of Ferraris, and he was brought out in a wheelchair and oxygen tank to a line up of Prancing Horse all revving their engines.
The Drivers Union is an exclusive club for Supercar owners based in the UK with membership restricted to owners of Ferrari’s, Lamborghinis, McLarens and certain models from other Marques.
With nearly 800 members and growing, the Club’s objective is to create an environment where Owners can meet, socialise and drive with other enthusiasts. Events have included Dealer visits, coffee mornings, private dining events and special access to prestigious events. Membership for Owners of eligible cars is free.
Founder, Syeed Ali, is a member of both the National Union of Journalists and The Guild of Television Camera Professionals He currently drives a Ferrari 360 Spider.
Drivers Union is currently working on a documentary series focused on supercard for Amazon Prime, due to debut in summer 2021. Three 30-minute episodes to be filmed by Syeed and presented by Yusef Mamoojee. In the series, Yusef will be travelling around the country and meeting members, driving cars and enjoying the automotive scene.
The full list of awards winners, as voted for by the Club is:
Supercar of the Year
Ferrari F8 Tributo
Ferrari Roma
McLaren 765LT
Lamborghini Huracan EVO
Bugatti Chiron
Event of the Year
Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace
The London Concours
Salon Prive
The Classic Car Drive In (Bicester Heritage)
The London Classic Car Show (Olympia)
Magazine of the Year
EVO Magazine
Octane
Motor Sport
Top Gear
Classic & Sports Car
Personality of the Year
Lewis Hamilton
Harry Metcalfe
Gordon Murray
Lando Norris
Chris Harris
Ferrari Dealership of the Year
Jardine Ferrari Colchester
Meridian Modena
Maranello Sales
HR Owen Ferrari
Dick Lovett Swindon
Lamborghini Dealership of the Year
H.R. Owen Lamborghini London
Lamborghini Tunbridge Wells
H.R. Owen Lamborghini Pangbourne
H.R. Owen Lamborghini Hatfield
McLaren Dealership of the Year
McLaren London
McLaren Hatfield
McLaren New Forest
McLaren Birmingham
Specialist Car Dealer of the Year
Bell Sport & Classic
DK Engineering
Barkaways
Romans International
Kent High Performance Cars
Specialist Servicing Company of the Year
Bell Sport & Classic
Bob Houghton
Litchfield Motors
AV Engineering
GTO Engineering
Automotive YouTube Channel of the Year
Harry’s Garage
Tyrrell’s Classic Workshop
Shmee150
Carfection
Seen Through Glass
Instagrammer of the Year
Mr JWW
Shmee150
Supercar Blondie
Charlie Photography