2026 International Historic Motoring Awards shortlist out on 16 October: Manvendra Singh, the Oberoi Concours and Royal Rajasthan make the cut

The International Historic Motoring Awards published their 2026 shortlist on 16 October. The awards, presented by Lockton and run by Hothouse Media, the publisher of Octane and Magneto, say they received more than 400 nominations across 16 categories this year, which they describe as a record response. Winners will be announced at a ceremony and gala dinner at The Peninsula London on Grosvenor Place, Belgravia, on 13 November, hosted by broadcaster and racing driver Amanda Stretton. Public voting for the separate Car of the Year award closed on 30 October.

For this desk, the interesting part is who is shortlisted in the categories that cover sources rather than cars.

Archives and publishers are in the running

Digital Media of the Year is the clearest signal. The shortlist mixes museums, record keepers and publishers: the Audrain Museum Network, Automotive Masterpieces, Brooklands Museum Grand Prix Centenary, Mecum Auctions, Revs Institute, The Classic Car Register, the Club Lotus Digital Heritage Archive and Torque Media. Revs Institute in Naples, Florida is itself one of the awards' supporters, alongside the Petersen Automotive Museum, Nyetimber and the two magazines.

Museum or Collection of the Year leans the same way. Brooklands Museum, M24 Musée du Sport Automobile, Museo Nicolis, the Musée National de l'Automobile Collection Schlumpf, Nationales Automuseum The Loh Collection, The Bugatti Trust Museum and Study Centre, The Ruskin Museum and Wood Brothers Racing are the eight names. The Bugatti Trust entry matters to anyone who has ever chased a chassis number, because its study centre is a reference library as much as a display.

Motoring Book of the Year has ten titles, including Aston Martin: The Entire Story, Ultimate Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, The Ferrari 250 GTO Spotting Guide, Lella Lombardi The Tigress of Turin and Whitney Straight: Racing Driver, War Hero, Industrialist. Spotting guides and marque histories are exactly the books owners reach for when a car's story does not add up.

Three India links

Manvendra Singh is shortlisted for Personal Achievement of the Year. The awards cite more than five decades spent preserving and promoting India's automotive heritage through restoration, historical research and the curation of concours events. The Oberoi Concours d'Elegance is one of seven names in Motoring Event of the Year, against Pebble Beach, Chantilly Arts and Elegance Richard Mille, Retromobile, Prewar Days, The Aurora and the Brooklands Grand Prix Centenary. Royal Rajasthan, run by Bespoke Rallies, is shortlisted in Rally or Tour of the Year.

Brooklands and the Sunbeam

Brooklands Museum said on 16 October that it is shortlisted in four categories, for the Grand Prix Centenary as an event and as digital media, for Britain's Grand Prix Story in Museum or Collection of the Year, and for Mark Hastings in Personal Achievement.

The National Motor Museum's Sunbeam 1000hp is up for Restoration of the Year and is also on the Car of the Year list. Wheels-Alive reported on 14 October that the three-year project, led by senior engineer Ian Stanfield at Beaulieu, centred on one of the car's two 22.5-litre Matabele V12 aero engines, with the team working around a lack of original documentation. The car is currently on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Two of the three Indian entries are events that bring foreign cars and foreign judges to India every winter. The third is a researcher. If you use Indian concours results or rally entry lists as provenance evidence, 13 November is worth a diary note.

Sources

• 2026 International Historic Motoring Awards unveils global shortlist, Historic Motoring Awards, 16 October 2026
• Brooklands Museum shortlisted for four International Historic Motoring Awards, VantagePoint, 16 October 2026
• Sunbeam 1000hp shortlisted for prestigious International Historic Motoring Award, Wheels-Alive, 14 October 2026