1989 Proton Saga wins Concours de l’Ordinaire at 2021 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional

A 1989 Proton Saga recently came out tops in a British festival that celebrates the 'unexceptional'.  The 2021 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional organised by UK insurer Hagerty drew a crowd of over 3,000 to a castle in Lincolnshire, where a 1989 Proton 1.5 GL Black Knight Edition was among 50 cars competing in the 'Concours de l’Ordinaire at 2021'. And the Malaysian car belonging to pollice officer Jon Coupland was ultimately crowned the winner, with a similarly pristine 1991 Peugeot 106 coming a close second. 

The winner of a event's tea mug-like trophy, Coupland is a self-proclaimed car enthusiast who acquired the Proton in 2019, becoming the car's third owner. Only 201 units of the Black Knight Edition were sold in the UK, and Coupland believes his car is the last remaining example running on British roads. The car was supposedly garaged back by the original owner in 1993 with only 3,600 miles (5,800km) on the clock), before the second owner put another 10,000 miles (16,000km) on it after taking ownership in 2017. Being a Lincolnshire local, Coupland didn't need to rack up too much mileage to get his car to the festival. 

Do you know of any first-generation Proton Saga in better condition than Coupland's in Malaysia? 

Photographs: Matt Howell for Hagerty