PICTURED beside his beloved car is Rob Sargent, holding the prestigious Car Of The Show award which was awarded to him recently at the National Rally for the Ford Cortina Mk2 and 1600E Owners Club.

The event was held recently at Wicksteed Park in Northamptonshire. His classic Savage V6 Cortina Mk2 has now won this award for five consecutive years.

But this year the rules have been changed – which meant that Rob was unable to win the coveted Concours Competition, because the club has ruled that as he has won this award for four years running, he was banned from entering!

As well as the trophy, Rob was also awarded a copy of the latest book about the marque: "Ford Cortina, the Complete History."

"I was presented with the award by Russell Hays, the author of the book – which my Savage is featured in," he told the Review.

The car has an impressive track record of winning such competitions – he holds the record for the most points scored in the clubs history of concours competitions. Concours is a specialist term that denotes that the vehicle is "as good, or better, than when brand new".

Winning the Auto Glym Classic Concours in 2007, he went on to win the top Classic Car Award at the Classic Motor Show held at the NEC in 2009 – beating a Ferrari valued at £3.5 million pounds.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Ford Cortina, while the Cortina Mk2 and 1600E Owners Club enjoy their 35th birthday.