IHMA 2025 winners are announced

The International Historic Motoring Awards honour the leading lights of the industry – including a hero of car design

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LEGENDARY CAR DESIGNER Giorgetto Giugiaro has joined the select list of winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award, at the 2025 International Historic Motoring Awards, Presented by Lockton. The 87-year-old Italian icon received the accolade on the day that Octane went to press, in a glitzy ceremony at The Peninsula hotel in London, following an introduction by Aston Martin design guru Marek Reichman. Giugiaro is only the second designer to receive the award; the other was Leonardo Fioravanti, in a roll-call of greats that includes Sir Stirling Moss, Bonneville Speed Week and Tony Dron.

The award was the culmination of a gala evening presented by Amanda Stretton to a sold-out room of 400 notables from the global classic car industry.

It followed the announcement of Car of the Year, which went to the Ford Escort Alan Mann 68 Edition by Boreham Motorworks. With the trophy decided by a public vote, the Blue Oval contender fought off spirited competition from a host of blue-blooded rivals, including the €51m Mercedes-Benz W196R Stromlinienwagen, Blue Bird, and the Pebble Beach-winning Hispano-Suiza H6C Nieuport-Astra Torpedo.

There were 15 further awards that were decided by a jury of nearly 40 experts from the classic and performance world. They include such dignitaries as Pebble Beach chairman Sandra Button, Jay Leno and Jay Ward, 'Supercar Blondie' Alex Hirschi, Christian Philippsen, Wayne Carini, McKeel Hagerty and Donald Osborne.

We'll bring you the full story of the ceremony next month, but for now here are the rest of this year's winners.

Rising Star of the Year Ethan Blake-Jones (Paddock Speedshop) Having got his first classic – an MGB – the 25-year-old Ethan founded his own TV production company to make a show that would blend restoration, racing and storytelling, all from a youthful perspective.