Autumn is here and the 2025 classic car season is drawing to a close. If you prefer balmy summer nights to short, foggy winter days, then just say 33, because that's the number of editions of the most famous meeting of British vehicles in Switzerland, which traditionally takes place at the end of the season. Hosted in St-Prex for the third time after Morges turned it down after many years, the British Classic Car Meeting has really flourished at its new location. And we are very confident that this story will continue for a long time to come!
Our registration form is scanned by the friendly reception team at 8 am. Participation in the Swiss Classic British Car Meeting St. Prex is free of charge, but it was necessary to register in advance. We receive a small brochure with a very informative map showing the locations of the local companies, the sponsors - who also ensured that the visit remained free in 2025 - the food trucks, the restaurants, the various parking lots for participants, the bicycle parking lots and the parking spaces for the cars.for participants, the bicycle parking spaces for visitors with bicycles (yes, there are also these at a car meeting) and, of course, the large parking lot for those with "foreign" or new cars. A team of volunteers organizes the reception and directions to ensure that everyone finds the right place.
Given the narrowness of the alleyways in St. Prex, this is essential, otherwise there is a risk of chaos. But this failed to materialize, as it does every year. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the chief organizer in "civilian life" deals with traffic planning...
The stream of arrivals consists of an extremely diverse fleet of cars, including, for example, a DeLorean built in Dunmurry, a suburb of Belfast in Northern Ireland, with open gullwing doors, as the convoy is making very slow progress and obviously needs some fresh air. A short time later, five of these chrome steel-clad cars are parked directly behind the city gate with the clock, which forms the entrance to the alleyways of the medieval town of St. Prex.
Several Rolls-Royces, including one with a Chapron body, and Bentleys - with the rear facing the lake - are lined up immaculately in the inner courtyard of the grammar school. Other, more mundane vehicles are also allowed to park here, including several Vauxhalls - Switzerland was not only one of the brand's most important markets on the European continent, Vauxhalls were also assembled here - MGs, Austin-Healeys, one of many Jaguar E-Types and the Queen Mother's favorite car, as well as that of several British prime ministers, a Rover P5.
The small group of Swiss-Germans who set up a long table in front of their Rolls-Royce Corniche, a Jaguar E-Type S2, a Jaguar XJC and a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow to toast their friendship over an aperitif breakfast with a glass of champagne in hand have already established a small tradition. Of course, the Basel delicacies were not to be missed; the Corniche of a well-known Basel car collector is adorned with a unique license plate: "BL 123".
It's only 9:35 a.m., but the mood is already exuberant. The group celebrates its annual reunion on the shores of Lake Geneva with moderate enjoyment, as does the entire community of British classic car enthusiasts.
The Minis gave their best
The Mini was the 2025 Guest of Honor, with 200 cars counted in St-Prex, which inspired me to flash back in time a little as I walked down the rows of different models that found their way to the meeting. Alec Issigonis' famous speedsters from 1959 were produced for 40 years in an almost incalculable number of versions and were also built under license in Spain (by Authi) and Italy (by Innocenti), for example.
Almost everyone born before 1990 knows him from personal experience or memory. The ingenious little car with its wheels attached to the four outermost corners soon proved that it could also drive on rally podiums such as the Monte Carlo in 1964 and 1965. Downton Conversions by Daniel and Bunty Richmond, the only tuning store with official authorization from BMC, had tuned the small front engine, increased the displacement and multiplied the power from 34 to 55 and then up to 77 hp in the production version, far more in motorsport, fitted a second tank and improved a multitude of details so that the car was also very efficient in snow, ice and on treacherous and winding roads. John Cooper, whose name is emblazoned on the cars, provided the initial spark, but the real work was done by Downton. The 1275 cylinder head, for example, which was also installed in the last classic Mini until 2000, was originally a Downton development. These glorious pages have gone down in the annals of motorsport forever. Paddy Hopkirk and Timo Makinen wrote the first chapters!
In 1966, the "Scandal of Monte Fiasco" occurred when the lights were declared non-compliant, denying the Minis a historic one-two-three victory.
The revenge came in 1967, and the crew of Rauno Aaltonen and Henry Liddon took the hard-fought first place.
The history of this model contains many more anecdotes and successes that enrich the Mini's racing track record. But I'm still in St. Prex and soon my focus will shift away from the Mini and towards some other English cars.
When childhood memories come flooding back...
Along the Quai du Suchet, under the trees, there is a row of beautifully parked Jaguars. They are a popular subject for photos. I fall in love with a primrose-yellow 1963 E-Type Coupé, which reminds me of the car my father's customer once gave me a ride in. I was 8 years old at the time, but that moment left a lifelong impression on me!
The bustling MG Grandmothers Club has also pitched its tent in the town and is welcoming members and friends to a welcome coffee, a fresh breeze is blowing and it is overcast, the coffee is indeed most welcome. What always surprises you about St. Prex is its - not very British by any means - classless attitude! Aston-Martin and Morgan stand side by side without any fear of contact, many admire an Aston DB4 and talk - of course! - about James Bond, who drove the successor model DB5 with a variety of gadgets in the 1964 film Goldfinger, the most famous scenes of which were famously filmed on the Furka Pass, in Andermatt and at the foot of the Bürgenstock in Switzerland.
The official stand of the meeting is surrounded by participants who have come to collect the commemorative badge for the 2025 edition of the Swiss Classic British Car Meeting. They are available on presentation of the voucher on the back of the booklet received on arrival, which we think is very generous, as we said, the meeting is free. If the many impressions are not enough, there are other souvenirs and collectors' items. The sun shines for a good quarter of an hour, just to tempt us and give us a hint of how beautiful St. Prex would be in the sunshine. But then it retreats for good.
A good thousand vehicles were officially counted, a respectable result given the forecast of rain for the afternoon. As the sky remained clear until around 2:30 p.m., some teams were able to enjoy a fondue near their cars or have a picnic in peace and quiet, after which autumn unmistakably made its presence felt on Lake Geneva. See you at the 34th edition next year!
