Over 50,000 people are expected to descend on Cholmondeley Castle next month as the famous grounds play home to the annual Pageant of Power.

The upcoming exhibition will see some of the most powerful vehicles in the world head just outside the North Shropshire border and includes the winning F1 Lotus racing car driven by Stirling Moss at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1961.

And this year, the pageant has been extended to three days, spanning a long weekend from the Friday of July 15 until the 17th.

• See all of the pictures from the Pageant of Power preview

Headlining the exhibition will undoubtedly be the BAC Mono, a lightweight, high-performance sports vehicle that is tipped to break records around the Top Gear track.

This will make its first UK experience at the Pageant, as will the Trident Icini, a brand new British Grand Tourer that promises 200mph and uses green technology to achieve an astonishing 100mpg.

Hands-on

But the most hands-on element of Cholmondelely came with the racing laps themselves.

It’s an exhilarating feeling being so close to these beautiful machines and being driven around the track at race speeds in them is a brilliant experience.

At the preview day, I was first given a taste of both the Audi Quattro A2 and the Ford RS200, before being immediately put on the spot by both drivers over my favourite.

The Quattro slid around the course like an Olympic bobsleigh, but I had to give it to the pure power and deafening roar of the RS200’s engine.

And that was that until a boyhood favourite, the Lancia Delta Integrale came along.

Expertly driven by Nick Bartlett, playing navigator in the legendary rally car was an experience like no other and it is easy to see why Lancia dominated rallying in the late 1980s to early 1990s.

But the final ride of the day couldn’t have been more different, in the new Jaguar XKR-S which took a spin around the circuit.

This car may not have been built purely for racing – with all of the creature comforts of leather seats, air conditioning and satellite navigation on offer – but it certainly didn’t feel any slower around the track.

And in the hands of former auto racing driver Karl Jones – and with all of the electronic aids turned off – it seemed as at home travelling sideways around the grounds of Cholmondeley as it did racing away from my Citroen Saxo on the drive back down the A41.

Restored E-type

But it was an older Jaguar that will really catch the attention of motoring fanatics everywhere.

Because also on show will be one of the most important and valuable Jaguar cars ever in the E-type that crashed at the Montlhery circuit near Paris in 1964, killing driver Peter Lindner.

The only factory-built Low Drag Lightweight E-Type, it was so badly damaged that its restoration was thought to have been impossible.

But thanks to 7,000 hours of work by Bridgnorth Classic Motor Car business owner Peter Neumark, who used 90% of the car’s original parts, the stunning E-type will be back on show at Cholmondeley.

The weekend is not just about cars though and there will be plenty more on show, including motor bike racing, with the 1958 Norton Man one of the star attractions, as well as live military action.

A particular highlight will be the assault demonstrations, which embed their ‘enemies’ within the public crowds and are not for the faint-hearted.

Last year, the pageant raised £75,000 for Help the Heroes and hopes to continue the good work this year with proceeds going to Combat Stress, amongst other charities.

There will also be aerial displays, including the aerobatic bravery of the Breitling Wingwalkers and helicopter demonstrations.

Aquatic fans will also be impressed by the power of the F2 Catamarans across the Cholmondeley lake and there will also be a special treat for 007 fans out on the water, with the James Bond wetbike from the film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ on show.

There will also be plenty of activities for children, as well as a fireworks concert on the Saturday evening.

James Hall, the Event Director of Cholmondeley Pageant of Power said: “It’s going to be our biggest and best year. It’s a very exciting time for us because we are going to have the very best vehicles, aeroplanes, tanks and motorbikes in the world and they are all coming to Cholmondely.

“Over the weekend itself, some of the most iconic, historic and contemporary racing cars will be trying out this Cholmondeley track and I suspect some of them will be going for the lap record as well which will be exciting.

”The impressive line-up of competitors and displays will make this place the most valuable piece of real estate in the world. Every vehicle present is of huge significance.”

Tickets are available for the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power at www.cpoc.co.uk