More than 100 guests enjoyed a fantastic evening at The Greatest Car Manufacturer Debate & Charity Auction on Thursday 26 March 2026, at the wonderful London Scottish House raising £18,314 for SSAFA, the Armed Forces as part of A Driving Force for SSAFA 2026!
The event was put together by ADF26 participants Alex and Harriet Wolfe, from London as part of their fundraising. The night begun with welcome drinks and dinner inside the breathtaking Super Car Cave at London Scottish House, surrounded by extraordinary machines from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Ford, McLaren, Mini and Fiat courtesy of private owners and supporting companies HWM Aston Martin, The Classic Car Company, Thorney Motorsport, JayEmm, and Autofficina.
It was an unforgettable experience for car enthusiasts as legendary marques went head-to-head in a lively debate, championed by some of the most respected voices in the automotive world debated the ultimate petrolhead question: Which car company is the greatest of all time?
The following 5 manufacturers competed for the crown:
– McLaren: From the iconic F1 to Le Mans victory and Formula 1 World Champions in 2025.
– Aston Martin: Because everyone wants to drive James Bond’s car.
– Ferrari: The prancing horse, the dream marque for generations.
– Ford: From the Model T to the Le Mans-winning GT40.
– Lamborghini: Creator of the supercar, from Miura to Countach.
The Keynote Speakers were:
Ryszard Nowobilski – debating for Aston Martin
Co-founder of Aston Keeper, an independent Aston Martin specialist in Surrey. He is a lifelong car enthusiast and lover of British engineering, from pre-war cars, Ariel motorcycles to modern Astons. Alongside his engineering work Ryszard serves as Chair of a group of charities and is an amateur racing driver. He probably belongs in a museum.
JayEmm (James Martin) – debating for Ferrari
With 476,000 YouTube subscribers and over 168 million views, James Martin of JayEmm on Cars is one of the most respected automotive reviewers online. Known for his honest insights into ownership, he has lived with and reviewed iconic Ferraris including the 550 Maranello, F12, and F430 Scuderia, as well as experiencing most modern supercars.
Jeremy Walton – debating for Ford
Author of the legendary Fast Fords series and a lifelong Ford historian, Jeremy Walton has spent more than 35 years immersed in the brand. He has driven everything from the Le Mans-winning GT40 to Princess Diana’s Escort RS Turbo, which later sold for over £750,000.
John Thorne – debating for McLaren
Founder of Thorney Motorsport, the world’s largest independent McLaren specialist. John has become a leading authority on McLaren ownership, helping thousands of enthusiasts keep their cars reliable, enjoyable, and on the road.
Iain Tyrrell – debating for Lamborghini
Founder of Iain Tyrrell Classic Cars and one of the world’s leading classic car experts. Iain is renowned for discovering and authenticating the iconic Lamborghini Miura from the 1969 film The Italian Job and currently serves as Technical Officer for Lamborghini Club UK.
The debate was chaired by Alex Wolfe, host of the Wolfe Power Club — the #1 energy podcast on Apple Podcasts and TikTok, known for lively conversations with industry leaders.
Guests voted for their favourite manufacturer, with each vote purchased helping their chosen marque claim the crown, with every penny raised supporting SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity – Registered charity in England & Wales (210760). The winner of the debate in the number of votes was Aston Martin who had plenty of loyal enthusiasts in the room but in monetary terms of votes and money raised, McLaren pipped them to the post and were crowned the greatest car company of all time!
Alongside the debate, guests also heard from Air Marshal Steve Shell CB OBE MA who is CEO of SSAFA. Steve served for 37 years in the RAF as a Chinook pilot, with operational tours in the First Gulf War, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The charity auction which greatly contributed to the amazing amount that was raised, included unique lots such as a luxury powerboat experience with World Champion Shelley Jory-Lee, donated by Ultimate Power Group, a Caterham motorsport drift experience donated by HWM Aston Martin & Caterham Dealer (Car Dealer | Walton-on-Thames, Surrey | HWM), a luxury travel day for seven, donated by Expedition Yorkshire (Yorkshire Tours | Tours of Yorkshire England), visiting filming locations from the 2026 Wuthering Heights movie starring Margot Robbie – an incredible day’s stalking in Scotland, a shooting experience with Silverstone Shooting Centre, a pair of Chanel sunglasses, tandem sky dive, and much more.
Alex Wolfe MBA said:
“Harriet and I would like to thank our brilliant speakers, team, sponsors, caterers, supporters, and the staff at the venue. You could feel the buzz in the room, and we are so grateful to everyone that attended.
British Values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect & tolerance for others is so important for the way we live today and how we shape the world for our future generations. In a world where conflict is real, raising money for SSAFA is a way to say thank you to our Armed Forces for the role they play in peacekeeping and protecting our freedom.
Let’s not take for granted a luxury many do not have. Being in the Armed Forces brings many sacrifices to the individual and family and SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, is a trusted source of support for the Armed Forces community in their time of need.”
A Driving Force for SSAFA 2026 involves 60 teams raising funds across 2026, hoping to raise £100,000 for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. ADF26 will see 60 participant cars and support vehicles, experiencing an exhilarating 11-day driving adventure across 10 countries from 1-11 August 2026. This epic adventure will begin in Dunkirk with a short memorial service for those military personnel that have given the ultimate sacrifice with a route to Bosnia and back. Started by two ex-serving members of HM Forces Benn Laidler MBE and Steve Shaw MA, FCILT, CMCIPD, Directors of A Driving Force, witnessed first-hand the hardship and devastation suffered by casualties of military conflict. They have already raised over £850,000 for many charities supporting military personnel. For 2026, this enormously successful campaign has set its sights on reaching a cumulative £1,000,000 target of fundraising and 1,000,000 miles of travel!
If you would like to support Alex & Harriett and their fundraising for A Driving Force for SSAFA 2026, you can make a donation here: https://ssafa.enthuse.com/pf/snazzy-seahorse-harriet-and-alex-wolfe
