JACKY ICKX TO BE GUEST OF HONOUR AT LONDON'S FINEST CLASSIC CAR SHOW

January 19, 2017 by London Classic Car Show

◾Special tribute to the world's greatest all-round driver planned

◾Ickx and Derek Bell reunited 35 years after their last Le Mans win together

◾VIP guests include four Le Mans legends with 17 wins between them – Ickx, Bell, Emanuele Pirro and Jürgen Barth

◾Tickets for star-studded Gala Evening on sale

Legendary Le Mans pairing Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell will be teaming up again for a special appearance at the London Classic Car Show (23-26 February, ExCeL London).

Ickx, regarded as the world's greatest all-round racing driver with Grand Prix and Paris-Dakar wins to go with his six Le Mans victories and two World Endurance titles, will be guest of honour at the exhibition.

A special display will showcase several of the iconic cars he raced and rallied while Ickx will appear live on stage to discuss his remarkable career with broadcaster and journalist Henry Hope-Frost.

They will be joined by five time Le Mans winner Britain's Derek Bell, MBE. Ickx and Bell shared the top step of the 24 Hours podium three times – in 1975 (Mirage) and 1981 and 1982 (Porsche).

As former Ferrari Grand Prix and sports car drivers, Ickx and Bell will also be talking about those chapters of their respective driving careers. Twenty of the greatest road cars to wear the Prancing Horse badge – and together worth more than £120 million – will form one of the major displays at the show to celebrate the legendary Italian company's 70th birthday.

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Ickx and Bell, too, will be VIP guests at the show's star-studded Gala Evening (Thursday, 23 February) where they will be joined by two other Le Mans superstars – Emanuele Pirro, who claimed five victories for Audi, and Jürgen Barth, who won in 1977 sharing a Porsche with Ickx. Together the quartet can claim 17 victories at Le Sarthe.

Bell said: 'Sharing a car with Jacky at Le Mans was one of the high points of my career. I am looking forward to sharing a stage with him at the London Classic Car Show and remembering some of the great times we had together.'

Ickx's timetable starts at 12 noon on Thursday (23 February) when the Belgian officially opens the inaugural Historic Motorsport International, the London Classic Car Show's new sister exhibition, which is staged in an adjacent hall within the ExCeL London complex.

He will then transfer to the London Classic Car Show when that opens at 3pm and, as well as joining in the celebrations at Thursday's gala evening, he will appear live on stage on both Thursday and Friday to talk about his career which includes notable success in F1, World Sportscars and Dakar.

'This is a huge privilege for me to be a guest of honour at these two shows in the heart of London. Whether it was winning Le Mans three times with Derek or competing at Silverstone and Brands Hatch, I have always had a wonderful relationship with the British racing community and that's why I am so thrilled to have these very special dates in my diary,' said Ickx.

Now in its third year, the London Classic Car Show is bigger than ever and will have more than 700 stunning classic cars on display, some for sale from leading dealers in the classic world.

And this year it incorporates a second show, Historic Motorsport International (HMI), which is devoted to historic racing and rallying and will include 50th anniversary celebrations for the Ford DFV Grand Prix engine and the birth of Formula Ford.

Entry to the London Classic Car Show incorporates free entry to HMI. Historic Motorsport International will open its doors at 12 noon on Thursday, 23 February while the London Classic Car Show will burst into life at 3pm that afternoon.

Tickets to the 2017 London Classic Car Show/HMI are now available from the show website – thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk – and start at £24 for single adult entry (£27 on the door on the day). Gala evening standard entry costs £42 or for access to the Grand Avenue Club, where the interviews take place, tickets cost £70.

The London Classic Car Show: The London Classic Car Show was launched in 2015 at ExCel London as the capital city's premier showcase the thriving classic car community. It was hailed as an immediate success. Featuring special displays putting the spotlight on the creations of F1 design guru Adrian Newey, TV star James May's 'Cars That Changed The World' and The Grand Avenue, an innovative in-door automotive runway along which classic cars could be paraded, the inaugural four-day show attracted more than 25,000 visitors and received notably positive feedback from all quarters. Building on that success, for 2016 the LCCS doubled in size and included a new Car Club Square feature introducing more affordable classics as well as a special tribute to the McLaren F1 supercar. Attendance also saw a significant rise to 33,000 visitors.

Brand Events UK: The London Classic Car Show is organised and operated by Brand Events. Since its formation in 1999, Brand Events has launched some of the UK's most popular consumer events including Top Gear Live and CarFest festivals for BBC Children in Need and broadcaster Chris Evans. Brand Events is widely recognised as the current most successful innovator in consumer events and exhibitions and has been awarded a number of industry accolades in recognition of this.

For further information please contact Jonathan Gill or Deborah Tee in the London Classic Car Show Media Office at MPA Creative on 01372 414120 or email on LondonClassicCarShow@MPACreative.com. A selection of high-resolution photography and official event logos are available on request.

Media accreditation is now open for the 2017 London Classic Car Show. Please send requests – together with evidence of coverage generated of previous shows or confirmed commissions for post-event reports – via email to: LondonClassicCarShow@MPACreative.com.