Here's why you shouldn't miss this year's Tour Auto

On Monday 17th April, some of Europe's finest racing cars will line up in the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris for the 32th edition of the Tour Auto. Organized by Peter Auto and heading towards the Côte d’Azur, the legendary road rally pays homage to good old English cars.

It’s fair to say Peter Auto know a thing or two about putting on a special event for motorsport lovers. 2023 is set to be no different and now that the excess rubber and tyre smoke from Mugello Classic a few weeks ago has settled, the calendar rolls on as we head to France for the start line of Tour Auto 2023.

Created in 1899 as ‘the Tour de France Automobile’, competitors will line up at the Grand Palais Ephémère, before embarking from Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. Competitors will then tackle a route of about 2,000 km through some of the most beautiful roads in France, passing through Beaune, Clermont-Ferrand, Valence and Circuit Paul Ricard, before finishing in Cannes.

Road racing is fun, of course, but with a bonafide Formula One track on the list of destinations, there will be plenty of opportunities to hit a few apexes and rumble-strips too. Drivers will compete on Dijon-Prenois, Bresse, Charade and Paul Ricard layouts, as well as 10 special stages on closed roads which won't be unveiled until the day before, adding to the mystery and excitement of this prestigious event.

Driving some of the best roads in Europe is one thing, but having the right car for the job is another. Thankfully, competitors bring out their finest machinery for the Tour Auto, with cars from the golden era of rally racing. If it was built between 1951 and 1973, expect to see it at Tour Auto, with everything from a BMW M1 Procar, Mini Cooper S, Shelby Cobra, right through to Jaguar E-Types, Alfa Romeo Guilia Sprints, and just about everything in between.

Tour Auto will also celebrate some ‘Good Old English’ cars that left their mark on the Tour de France Automobile in the 1950s. Drop-tops in the form of Jaguar's XK120, Sunbeam's Alpine and Triumph's TR3 will be invited to cross the Channel to reach the Grand Palais Ephémère in Paris for checks and scrutineering before hitting the road at this iconic event once more. For more information ahead of the event, which begins on April 17th and runs until April 22nd, head to Tour Auto’s official website.