Brand loyalty is a strange thing. Sometimes it is passed down through generations, sometimes formed at an early age or maybe just forged from the positive experience of a product. It creates tension and rivalry, causes us to blindly overlook faults and incites defensiveness when we are challenged to validate our decisions. These downsides however, pale into insignificance when it comes to the passion, time and dedication to a marque displayed by true fans.

Ford Fair is brand passion exemplified. Hundreds of cars and and thousands of enthusiasts from all over Europe gather each August to worship the blue oval. From the humble Ka, to the fire breathing Time Attack Cosworths, every branch of the Ford tree is represented. The event itself started in 1992 and has grown each year. Now run by Future Publishing, home of Fast Ford magazine it’s one of (if not the) most professionally staged exhibition in the automotive calendar.

This is the first of several galleries covering this year’s show. Here we’ll be taking a general look at the show and also covering some of the more unusual cars that don’t fit any other categories. Stay tuned for more photos.

My last journey to Ford Fair was way back in 2005 and I made the 250 mile round trip in my track prepared Fiesta RST which was not pleasant at all - bucket seats, solid suspension, a single CD on repeat and the constant worry of overheating (both the car and myself). Fast forward six years and with the luxuries of cruise control, air con and not having to be there at dawn for car display entry the journey was an altogether much more bearable affair. I took the scenic route through Shropshire and two and a bit hours of old-skool hip-hop and modern electronica later I arrived.

Even the Silverstone matrix board got in on the action. Shortly after I took this, the dots scrolled across with the Ford Fair logo in full colour, quite impressive.

2012 marks the 10th aniversary of fiestaturbo.com having a stand at the show, the first at it’s now regular home of Silverstone. The previous year, 2001 it was held at Rockingham Motor Speedway circuit in Northampton, and in 2000 at Highclere Castle in Newbury.

Here’s something I didn’t expect to see - a US Highway Patrol spec Crown Victoria complete with working lights and siren. It would have been quite amusing to see this go round the track but the owner seemed quite happy chatting to people as they wandered over for a look.

I’m not sure whose car this is or why it was being run up on these mobile rollers - the guys looked a little preoccupied for me to ask - but what I do know is the heat from the fans and exhaust flames whilst standing behind was like being six feet from a bonfire.

In everyday life a bona fide supercar like this would attract small crowds and snap necks like Kim Kardashian in Tesco, but here its presence became diminished by the surrounding metal. Many of the Ford Fair visitors would describe standard as somewhat uninteresting, even when that standard is a Ford GT.

The Mk3 Fiesta and Mk4 Escorts are entering a curious limbo like stage of life where they are not quite old enough to be considered old school, but their popularity as a mainstream model is waining somewhat.

Still, there are a few people creating awesome machinery like this RS Turbo with front mount, side exit exhaust.

Whether you like to call it hellaflush, stance or fitment, there’s no denying that this is one trend that firmly divides opinion. Where some see style and an exercise in precision, others see impracticality taken to extremes. Whilst something I personally don’t think I’d ever do to a car, I can appreciate the work involved.

Sometimes looking outside the blue oval for ideas can prove to be a good idea, as the diffuser grafted onto the rear of this Escort RST shows. It’s off a RenaultSport Clio 197.

Often the second best reason for attending a show and just like the cars, the girls on the various stands varied wildly both in quality and in styling. Some highly questionable choices although few would argue that Maxxis haven’t nailed it here.

The Racing Puma wasn’t a huge success when launched, the £23,000 asking price proportionally steep when compared to its 153bhp. A lot of them haven’t aged too well either - the alcantara trim wears badly and those wide arches are prone to stone chips. No such issues with this example though which looked showroom fresh.

This Mk2 was sitting pretty on ATS Classic alloys with a carb’d Zetec under the hood. The whole car was spotless from top to bottom too. We’ll have a closer look in a later post.

If you’re entering the concours, these are the guys you need to please. The pensive expressions would indicate that judging is not an easy task when the quality of entry is so high.

Having snapped this beautiful example from a distance I’m not sure if it was for sale or not. Being located in the trade area I expect so, or maybe documents had already been exchanged and the lucky new owner was just waiting for the crowds to clear so he could take his new investment home?

Thanks to the fantastic people at Future Publishing, who organised the show, we were granted with media access, ensuring that gates opened before us like VIPs at a Hollywood nightclub, and track shots were possible from the utopian land that is beyond the fence.

An upcoming post will have track action, both in the pits and in motion.

Midway through the afternoon the clouds broke and we were treated to a short shower. Many sought shelter in the various paddock buildings, both from the rain and the colourful language flying around the concours section after minutes of precipitation undid hours of preparation.

Trade stands were in abundance and Scorpion Exhausts is just one of many manufacturers who have been producing parts to make fast Fords faster for many years now. Also apparent from this photo is how even a near standard Focus RS can turn heads. After a few years in the wastelands of hot hatches, Ford really got this one right.

The car displays even extended into the outer field, ensuring tired legs for anyone taking in the whole spectacle. Others, like myself, surveyed the view through a telephoto lens to determine if the walk was worth it. By this time a backpack full of camera gear and an itch to beat the worst of the traffic cemented my decision to head for the exit instead.

After a long day walking around the final walk was back to the car park where I spotted these guys. I tried to decide which one had been wheel shopping and which had merely been roped in to transport his (or her) purchases.

That’s it for part 1. There’s another 260 photos to come, next time - Fiestas.