Our motoring legacy

Long before our signature zebra-printed safari trucks, Longleat was already shaping Britain’s motoring story.

Now our new event on 27 and 28 June, The Motor Show Weekender, shines a bright headlight on this lesser-known legacy.

Innovation and experimentation have always been a part of the Estate’s identity which was one of the first stately homes to open to the public in 1949 and this year marks 60 years of being the first Drive-Through safari to open outside of Africa.

So, boasting a motoring history stretching back more than 120 years is no surprise. In 1904 the first Longleat motor car was registered – years before the public trusted cars.

Emma Challinor, Longleat’s archivist, said: “The 5th Marquess of Bath’s 1904 12 h.p. Wolseley car represented the start of the transition from horse-drawn travel to motoring culture, with new roles for motormen or chauffers replacing coachmen. Longleat’s first motorman, Steven Watts, taught the young members of the family to drive. This was a skill that became invaluable to Lady Kathleen Thynne, the eldest daughter of the 5th Marquess, who often transported patients to and from the Military Relief Hospital at Longleat during the First World War.”

Scott Ashman, Head of Operations, said: “Some of Longleat’s most fascinating stories happened on four wheels. From hosting some of Britain’s earliest motor sports, to driving among lions for the very first time, there’s always been this sense of adventure here.

“The Motor Show Weekender is a chance for us to bring some of those stories back into the spotlight and celebrate the memories people still connect with today.”

In 1906, the 5th Marquess, alongside Somerset Automobile Club, hosted a hill climb, often credited as one of the oldest forms of motor sport.

The Somerset Standard, published on 27 July 1906, described Lord Bath as “ever ready to aid the progress of science and the perfecting of invention”.

The ascent of Longleat’s iconic Park Hill clocked in speeds as high as 30mph – an impressive feat at the time. One of the Classes was won by Mrs Herbert Lloyd of Croydon, the only female entrant, in a 40 h.p. Daimler. A success lauded by Daimler as ‘once and for all abolishing the idea that a woman is not able to drive a fast and powerful car.’

Emma added: “But Longleat didn’t just host motoring events; it pioneered a whole new driving experience with the opening of the Safari Park in 1966. Longleat Safari, with its invitation to drive your own car among lions, became a motoring experience unlike anything Britain had ever seen before. It turned the family car into a part of the incredible adventure.”

From safari drives to rally stages, our relationship with man’s best mechanical friend doesn’t end there. During the 70s and 80s, the snaking Drive-Through Safari route became a special spectator stage of one of the most famous rallies in the world, the Lombard RAC International Rally, gaining a reputation for being challenging and notoriously slippery. Lombard Rally Bath is returning to Longleat during the Motor Show Weekender to reimagine these iconic stages for guests to enjoy, with demonstrations set against the spectacular backdrop of the Elizabethan House and pristine parklands.

Into the 90s Longleat was still cementing its reputation as a motoring destination, with the ‘Longleat Historic Rally’ reported to be the first all-historic rally of its kind held in the West country. Over the years, the spectacular backdrop offered by Longleat House and grounds has attracted a host of concours d’elégance competitions, owners’ meets and other gatherings: from a concours held by the ’20-Ghost Club’ of pre-1940 Rolls Royces in 1958, to a staging post for DJ Chris Evans’ ‘Magnificent Seven’ Ferraris during his ‘dine and drive’ Children in Need charity tours in the early 2010s.

Scott added: “Longleat has always been a place where extraordinary motoring moments were made, and with the Motor Show that trend isn’t changing any time soon.”

The Motor Show Weekender is also the first weekend for the Great British Summer Saving initiative with the government announced VAT reductions on admission tickets and is included in a Day Ticket.