For more than two decades, Robb Report’s most popular stateside event has been its Car of the Year contest, held on both coasts with sessions in California’s Napa Valley and Florida’s Boca Raton. Now, the flagship program is heading to the UK for two exclusive driving adventures, one from July 16 through 18 and the other from July 19 through 22.
Participants will first put the latest models from some of the world’s top luxury and high-performance marques through their paces—among them, the Aston Martin DB12 Volante, the new hybrid Bentley Continental GT, and the Lotus Emira. The testing ground will be Silverstone, the state-of-the-art circuit that’s home to British motorsport.
The Lotus Emira in action.
Lotus Cars
Attendees will evaluate each car based on specific drills on track, assessing the field according to a set of criteria that includes handling, comfort, interior sophistication, and overall drive experience. The feedback will be part of our overall evaluation of the vehicles, to be published in a special Car of the Year UK issue in September.
Silverstone, home to British motorsport, will be the testing ground for some of the latest luxury and high-performance models from leading marques.
Silverstone
Also included will be a day at Aston Martin’s Dynamic Drive Program complemented by a private factory tour. Accommodations will be provided by Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, located around 30 miles from Silverstone. This Belmond hotel features a garden-to-table culinary ethos—developed by chef patron Raymond Blanc OBE—which puts an emphasis on seasonality, sustainability, and local sourcing of ingredients.
Attendees of Robb Report’s Car of the Year UK will stay at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, located about 30 miles from Silverstone.
Belmond
Next up, participants can choose to head north for a road rally through the emerald-green hills of the Scottish Highlands. The extended three-night itinerary features Dun Aluinn, a historic residence situated in Aberfeldy Perthshire, as the base camp.
Another form of driving comes into play on Scotland‘s famed golf links.
Peter Dazeley/Getty Images
During the sojourn, guests will also get to explore Michelin-star dining and rarified spirits, the latter served in the tasting rooms of world-renowned distilleries once the motoring portion has concluded. Also on the menu will be a candlelit tour of a castle and rounds of golf at storied links, where driving skills of a different type will be tested.
For more information, please email rr1experiences@robbreport.com, or click here to register your interest. For more photos, click here.
The Aston Martin DB12 on track.
Robb Rice