RE: PistonHeads On The Beach | PH Review
RE: PistonHeads On The Beach | PH Review
Thursday 28th May

PistonHeads On The Beach | PH Review

Sun, sea, and superchargers assembled at our special-edition Brighton Sunday Service


Setting a 4am alarm on a bank holiday Sunday is usually a punishable offence, but for our first-ever PistonHeads On The Beach in Brighton, exceptions had to be made. Arriving on the seafront as the sun burned through the morning haze, the PH team witnessed a very British juxtaposition. 

Bleary-eyed petrolheads were setting up gazebos while local nightclubbers were still stumbling out into dawn sunshine. Between deploying our tow truck, building the stand, and gently moving a few people who were fast asleep in their cars amid our road closure, it was a proper early morning scramble.

What followed was hands-down one of our best, public-facing Sunday Services ever. The turnout completely blew us away, with over 400 cars packed onto the seafront, creating a literal mile-long ribbon of automotive brilliance. Combined with the scorching hot weather, we welcomed over 1,700 spectators and even picked up some fantastic media coverage along the way.

The sheer variety on display was a testament to what makes PistonHeads great. We had a Lamborghini Countach rubbing shoulders with an original Ford Thunderbird, a classic Bullitt-inspired Mustang, and a perfectly at-home modified Beach Buggy. Walking the line, you couldn't miss the sun-soaked Volkswagen Campers, original Mini pick-up, a stunning one-of-one spec BMW E92 M3, a gorgeous green-over-tan Fiat Coupe, a Ferrari 328, and an absolutely unhinged LSV8-swapped Toyota GT86.

An event of this scale doesn't happen without a brilliant roster of supporters. Massive thanks to our Annual Service Modified Lawn sponsors, Regal Autosport, and Ranmore Fine Motor Cars for bringing serious class with the new Morgan Supersport and a restomodded Jensen Interceptor. We also had a stellar fleet of Fords from ZeroNine Design, top-tier audio from Huets In-Car Entertainment, and a racing Hillman Imp courtesy of the Brighton and Hove Motor Club. The PAAA turned heads with a flock-effect print Lexus, while Mark from Car Show Boards showcased our special edition Annual Service boards (available now). Huge props to the crew and cadets from St John Ambulance for keeping everyone safe in the heat.

Over on the PistonHeads stand, the staff cars were out in full force. Pete brought his iconic Escort Twin-Cam, Ben showed off his modified Fiesta ST, Matt represented the modern classics with his BMW Compact, and Nic C enjoyed the heavily contested air conditioning of the (press loaner) Range Rover Sport SV. We were also thrilled to host a gorgeous 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 Race Car - which is now live on PistonHeads Auctions.

If you missed out on our limited-edition On The Beach t-shirts, don't panic - these will be landing on the PistonHeads store soon, and will also be available at the 2026 PistonHeads Annual Service. 

That’s not all, we have provisionally booked to return to the beach in 2027, so watch this space. If you can’t wait an entire year for your next PistonHeads fix, the summer calendar is already packed:

  • PistonHeads Le Mans Friday Service: Friday 12th June - book now
  • PistonHeads at the 24 Hours of Le Mans: 10-14th June - more details 
  • Sunday Service at Car Barn Beamish: Sunday 28th June - bookings coming soon
  • PistonHeads at the Le Mans Classic: 2-5th July - more details 
  • The PistonHeads Annual Service: Saturday 8th August - selling fast! 

To every single person who brought a car or just came down to support us in the heat: a massive, heartfelt thank you. You made our Brighton debut unforgettable.


Author
Discussion

Marc H

Original Poster:

268 posts

179 months

Thursday
quotequote all
Had my S2000 there - and wow was it hot! Many thanks to the PH crew and all who helped with the event.

Mr Tidy

30,211 posts

152 months

Thursday
quotequote all
Looks like it was a fantastic event.

I couldn't make my mind up about signing up, and am glad I hadn't when my car failed an MOT test on the 19th!

But as it is planned for next year I hope I'll make that, as I have fond memories of the Speed Trials in the 80s.

MountainsofSussex

395 posts

211 months

Impressed that you somehow managed to get Madeira Drive closed off on what's probably the busiest day of the year! I somehow missed that this was going on, otherwise I'd have come down...

Ben Lowden

7,269 posts

202 months

PH Marketing Bloke

Massive thanks to Adam for all of his hard work pulling this one off, and for everyone that came along and endured the heat with us.

What a special event in such a public place, it was great to share our passion with so many people passing by, and seeing the joy on people's faces that may not ordinarily go out of their way to see some nice cars. Roll on 2027!

nismo48

6,550 posts

232 months

MountainsofSussex said:
Impressed that you somehow managed to get Madeira Drive closed off on what's probably the busiest day of the year! I somehow missed that this was going on, otherwise I'd have come down...
Very impressive indeed, as a Speed Trials fan of many years this was a brilliant achievement.

polaris26

15 posts

63 months

best sunday service ever! enjoyed it along with an hour of frisby on the beach with my son. On the way out I discovered an amazing route out of Brighton going down Falmer hill towards the AMEX stadium. Absolutely gorgeous road!

massive thanks for organising this!

Bobby Lee

283 posts

80 months

Yesterday (11:25)
quotequote all
Thanks for putting on the event, and glad we were well behaved enough to merit a return next time. Was a nice atmosphere and variety of cars.