CLASSIC SHOWCASE • Fall 2026 Newsletter
CLASSIC SHOWCASE • Fall 2026 Newsletter
San Diego British Car Day Returns to Coronado
Tidelands Park, Coronado, CA • September 13, 2026
SAN DIEGO BRITISH CAR DAY
On Sunday, September 13, British car owners and enthusiasts returned to Coronado’s Tidelands Park for the 2026 San Diego British Car Day. Presented by the San Diego British Car Club Council, the annual showcase brought together a broad cross-section of British motoring, with Jaguars, MGs, Triumphs, Austin-Healeys, Minis, Rolls-Royces, Land Rovers, Aston Martins and other marques spread across the waterfront lawn. With San Diego Bay and the downtown skyline nearby, the setting once again gave the gathering a distinctly Southern California character.
British classics gathered along the waterfront at Tidelands Park in Coronado.
A SAN DIEGO TRADITION
British Car Day has deep roots in the local enthusiast community. The San Diego British Car Club Council traces the event’s beginnings to 1980, when representatives from nine area British-car clubs came together around the idea of creating a single gathering for owners across many marques. The first British Car Show and Picnic was held on September 21, 1980 at Dos Picos Park in Ramona and drew 130 vehicles. Over the decades the event moved through a succession of familiar San Diego venues, including the Del Mar Fairgrounds, Fairbrook Farms in Bonsall, Admiral Baker Field, Seaport Village and Spanish Landing before finding its current home at Coronado’s Tidelands Park. During its 1990s peak, more than 400 British cars, trucks and motorcycles attended. That history remains visible today in the remarkable variety on the lawn and in the strong network of clubs that continues to support the event.
Walking the field offered an entertaining survey of British automotive personality. Compact sports cars sat beside formal luxury saloons; open roadsters shared the lawn with grand tourers, rugged Land Rovers and distinctive Minis. Rows of E-Types and other Jaguars naturally drew our attention, but British Car Day has always been strongest when viewed as a celebration of the entire British motoring landscape. The mix of restored examples, carefully preserved originals, modified cars and enthusiastic drivers gave the event a character very different from a formal concours less about uniformity and more about the cars, their owners and the stories that keep them on the road.
100 POINTS • FIRST IN CLASS
A memorable Coronado debut for Tom Krefetz’s recently completed modified E-Type Roadster!
Tom Krefetz’s personal modified 1962 Jaguar E-Type Roadster on display at British Car Day.
A STANDOUT ACCOMPLISHMENT
Tom’s 1962 E-Type was an especially meaningful entry for Classic Showcase. The Roadster was comprehensively restored and modified by our team, combining the unmistakable shape and character of an early E-Type with a carefully selected group of performance, comfort and aesthetic upgrades. Finished in metallic silver over a dark blue leather interior, the recently completed Jaguar represented the kind of individualized build that allows a classic to retain its period identity while being tailored around the preferences of its owner. Throughout the day the E-Type attracted steady attention from fellow Jaguar owners and British-car enthusiasts, and by the conclusion of the show Tom’s Roadster had earned Best in Class honors. For a car only recently completed by our restoration team, the recognition made its British Car Day appearance especially rewarding and provided another opportunity to share the finished result with the Southern California collector-car community.
OTHER RESULTS
British Car Day also provided a particularly rewarding moment for Classic Showcase when longtime client Paul earned First Place in the MG class with his 1959 MGA 1500 Roadster. The car was recently completed by our team following a comprehensive restoration centered on Paul’s vision of retaining the character of the classic MGA while creating a more capable, enjoyable, and reliable sports car for the road.
As featured in our Spring 2026 newsletter, the MGA combines its timeless British styling with a number of carefully integrated performance enhancements, including an upgraded 1800 cc MGB five-main-bearing engine, period-style supercharger, and improvements to the cooling, ignition, and braking systems. Its recognition at British Car Day was a wonderful result for Paul and an especially satisfying opportunity for our team to see the completed car being enjoyed and recognized among a field of fellow British classics.
Paul receiving an award for his 1959 MG 1500 Roadster, restored by Classic Showcase
As the afternoon wound down, British Car Day once again demonstrated why it has endured for more than four decades. The cars are the attraction, but the event’s real strength is the community surrounding them — marque clubs, longtime owners, new enthusiasts and families sharing the waterfront lawn together. For Classic Showcase, the day offered a chance to reconnect with friends, enjoy an unusually broad collection of British automobiles and celebrate a Best in Class result for Tom’s E-Type. We look forward to returning to this uniquely San Diego gathering and to seeing many of these cars and owners again at future events.
More sights from the 2026 San Diego British Car Day at Tidelands Park in Coronado.
