Organized by the Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP) since 2004, Tour of the English has once again established itself as one of the biggest and best events of its kind in Europe, taking 265 British-made cars along some of the most beautiful roads in mainland Portugal.
The 20th edition of Passeio dos Ingleses broke participation records in Lisbon and also had a very rich batch of British cars in Porto, reinforcing the unique character of the ACP event.
The concentration of machines and participants in Parque Eduardo VII, in the Portuguese capital, and Foz do Douro, in Porto, was a unique opportunity for thousands of people to admire relics of the British automotive industry, from brands such as Bentley, Jaguar, MG, Rolls -Royce, Triumph, Morgan, Lotus, Aston Martin, Mini, Ford, Riley, Land Rover or Austin-Healey, just to name the most represented.
A spirit is visible in an MG J2 with almost a century of history, manufactured in the early 1930s, which headed the starting area in Porto. “This MG is considered the first affordable English sports car and was always in Portugal, which is rare for these cars”, revealed the owner, Pedro Filipe, who, together with his girlfriend, has a collection of more than 60 classic and vintage cars. competition, some of them already bearing the ‘stamp‘ of the Tour of the English.
“The car is a lot of fun to drive. Despite having just an 847cc engine, it’s still plenty! And if something breaks down, just open the hood and almost everything will be sorted out, unlike modern cars where we open the hood, close it again and call the ACP tow truck!”, he joked. A regular participant in Classics events abroad, Pedro Filipe states that “this Tour is at the level of the best out there. I’ve participated several times, always with different cars, and the organization is always excellent. Last year I was here with a Jaguar Mk9”, said the collector from Porto, who took the 90-year-old MG to class victory in the Regularity test.
From the charms of Vouga to the plains of Alentejo
The route and activities chosen by the ACP team once again received praise from participants, including several families and different generations. In Lisbon, the participants headed towards Alentejo and the Convento do Espinheiro, in Évora, the location of the final lunch. Halfway through the route, the participants divided into a Sports Group and a Tourist Group, following their itineraries: the Tourist Group visited the picturesque fauna of Monte Selvagem, in Lavre, while the Sports Group competed in a Regularity race at the Évora Kartódromo.
In Porto, the participants left under the palm trees of Jardim do Passeio Alegre, in Foz, towards the Bairrada region and in Quinta do Encontro, in Anadia. Halfway through the route, the Tourist Group visited the interesting collection of the Macinhata do Vouga Railway Museum, while the Sports Group headed to the centre of the city of Anadia, for Regularity. The Bairrada Wine Museum was also a mandatory stop.
As usual, the British Embassy in Portugal was also represented at Passeio dos Ingleses, an event supported by Bentley, Barbour, Chá Twinings and the Municipalities of Lisbon, Porto and Anadia.
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