The Biggest British Car Show Is Days Away

The largest classic British car show in the US returns to Stowe, Vermont, later this month, as British Invasion gears up for another fall weekend in the northeast. With over 600 cars in attendance every year, the annual extravaganza attracts plenty of cars from Atlantic Canada, making this a more international event than perhaps any other in New England.

This year the featured marques will include Bentley, Rolls-Royce, MG, and Austin-Healey.

And while MGs are certainly guaranteed to have a plurality on the show field, the number of more obscure marques is what makes British Invasion such a treat to visit.

In past years we've seen everything from a Rover SD1 to an MG RV8 make the trip to Stowe, with the annual event hosting quite a few rarities from obscure marques.

Still, we have a lengthy wish list of British cars that we haven't seen at Stowe, including ones we know are certainly in the country. These include more recent commuter fare like MG Metro and the Triumph Acclaim—both present on the east coast, believe it or not—as well as the more recent Rovers that have been imported in recent years.

Another (terrible) car we'd like to finally see stateside is the Austin Marina, which was sold stateside for a grand total of 15 minutes, as well as some version of the Leyland Princess.

But when it comes to commonly seen British cars, a very popular duo is turning 30 this fall.

One is the X300-generation Jaguar XJ, which was launched at the Paris motor show in October 1994, picking up the baton from its slightly boxier XJ40 predecessor. This XJ that debuted that fall arrived at a complicated time for British marques stateside, offering a modest evolution of its predecessor's design, but still found a wide audience at a time when luxury car sales were surging.

Early examples that have been babied since new aren't easy to spot these days, with the next-gen X308 V8 models being far easier to find with a variety of mileages.

The other British model celebrating its 30th anniversary this fall is the second-generation Range Rover, codenamed P38, which was officially launched during the last week of September 1994. Replacing a model that had been in series production since 1970, the 1994 redesign joined the Land Rover Discovery as one of the automaker's two main models, delivering a luxury SUV during the early years of the SUV boom.

To fully feel how long ago 1994 really was, the Rangie's base 4.0-liter V8 produced just under 200 hp, but the luxurious cabin made the new SUV a comfortable and powerful-enough long distance cruiser with plenty of towing ability.

Still, this generation had a relatively short run by the standards of its predecessor, with its 2001 replacement being a different beast in many respects.

Land Rovers have traditionally been well-represented at the event, and as you've certainly guessed by now the selection of Defenders alone is quite deep and varied.

Visit the event website to view the full schedule and driving directions.

British Invasion is not exactly close to any major city, with the exception of Burlington and Montreal, so this is fully a long weekend trip for many attendees rather than a day trip. The event runs from Sept. 20-22.