Hello, hallo, hoi, salut! from an absolute staple on the UK car show calendar, Players Classic. It feels appropriate to open this article that way to recognize the notable increase in a growing theme of, very tasty and very welcome, continental metal at this year’s show particularly from Belgium and the Netherlands. The two-day event at Goodwood’s iconic circuit has become something of a must for any modified car enthusiast, no matter what they drive. We were even more excited than usual to check out what Jay Mac and the team had in store for 2026 – the 20th running of Players Classic.

While Saturday brought rain that even a duck would consider ‘a bit much’, the weather on Sunday was very much showing off the bucolic green and pleasant pastures of West Sussex from the historic grounds of Goodwood Motor Circuit. It’s hard not to take for granted that shows of this type are welcome at such a special venue and we should appreciate the, we’re sure, numerous meetings and reassurances that go into securing dates. The venue, the attendees who want to display there and the general vibe created by the team are what bring people here.

Some highlights from those with a commute involving a large boat or sub-Channel train included @amb.mk1’s Jetta, @simonknapen’s Caddy and @audii_mitch’s Audi 100 but there were far more! I hope you all had safe and smooth journey’s home, a sentiment extended to everyone else who came. My wife and I made the trip down in our Mk1 Polo and always enjoy the show to see what people have been working on over the winter and perhaps also because we visit a few country pubs in the area for good measure. The show did not disappoint and we even managed to participate in some sport over the weekend. That is if you include a Bullseye TV show themed ‘hit the dart board through a brand-new alloy wheel’ game hosted by @players_carl from Rotiform, and we do.

To describe in detail the general standard of vehicles present across all areas of the show would certainly draw concerns that my rose-tinted spectacles were firmly in place but honestly it really was exceptional. With the number of vehicles present and the breadth of tastes that this brings there will always be some that fall outside your cup of tea but if you take the time to look then you’ll see the effort someone has put in to make that their own, and that’s what it should all be about.

Like a lot of you guys, I’m a pretty deeply seated Volkswagen fan, it’s my niche and I’m more than happy with that, but the variety on offer could be appreciated by all. Particularly some beautiful Escorts (steady) like @broadmoor_mk1’s which won Best of Show on Sunday, JDM hero cars and other curious rare-model oddities. All executed in their own style parked next to each other not in harmony but in starkly interesting contrast. How about a Citroën 2CV on hydros sporting Japanese Rays Engineering Volk Racing mesh wheels parked next to a Ferarri on step-lip BBS RFs? Alternatively, perhaps you’d prefer a Snap-On livery’d mini Kei Car pick-up parked next to a Datsun 240z either side of a bronze statue?

Returning to the VAG contingent present there were all tastes catered for here too including full restos, performance track-tools and very unique show builds. As well as the flagship Golf models of every era there were really well thought out builds on other platforms like Polos (of course I was going to notice them!), Beetles, Sciroccos and Passats, particularly B3 Passats – a personal ‘need’ may be building! Best of Show on the Saturday went to a very unique Riddler (as in Batman) themed Beetle hot rod which EP-Comps.co.uk are raffling to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK (ends 3rd July). Awards were also picked up by several ex-PVW feature cars such as @the.polo.shed’s Mk2 Polo Coupe and @alexdowns5’s 5-door Mk1 Golf amongst other worthy winners. One favourite was a pair of ‘Back-to-89’ themed brightly-painted aircooled Volkswagens including a Beetle and an awesome Karmann Ghia built during the late 1980’s by Brett Hawksbee, the founder of Bug Jam.

There was a strong theme of retro motorsport inspired builds in the Volkswagens on display often based around the timeless recipe of lows, carbs, wheels and a classic but effective interior retrim. A very fresh build that looked fantastic with dual twin Webers, tartan seats and BBS E50s on Airlift suspension was @mk1.jp’s pale green Mk1 Scirocco (full feature soon). Some took the next step with actual race-ready engineering motorsport pedigree such as @5cyl4motionmk1’s Mk1 Golf (our Car of the Year 2025). Others applied stand-out livery designs including @jcb96_’s Mk1 Golf ‘Wrigley’s’ design inspired by a 1977 VW Motorsport rally car. There were also a few hard-working souls willing to flex this theme towards a show car angle with exceptionally hard to keep clean chromed engine goodies, such as the Mk1 Golfs of @edgar.tepper and @david.bond.129142. The car of the show for me was the white widebody Audi S2 Quattro by @quattrocoachworks, the finish and presence of this car is fantastic.

Players Classic is a very well put together event which has built an expectation within those that attend to preserve the privilege to host it at this exceptional venue. That isn’t easy but it creates an inclusive culture where Volkswagens, Ladas, Saabs, Porsches, Fords and more can all be appreciated and attempts made to correctly identify them during an awards presentation. Nice work @players_jay and the team, see you next year.