The United Kingdom boasts a rich automotive heritage, deeply rooted in both historical achievements and a thriving car enthusiast community. From the earliest days, automotive enthusiasts have been modifying cars. In the late 19th century, coach builders would make them larger and more luxuriant, while engineers would make them smaller and faster. This community still thrives today, even with the onslaught of restrictive European and domestic car laws. 

We are being pushed into boring, boxy, bland SUVs that a corpse could drive from the mortician’s slab to the crematorium. Fortunately, there is still a band of enthusiasts that like to stand out from the crowd. Modified Live reflects the U.K.’s diverse car culture, embracing influences from Japanese tuning, American muscle cars, and European performance engineering. It transcends mere hobbyist interest, representing a lifestyle for many enthusiasts who invest significant time and resources into their vehicles.

Modified Live 2025 Overview

In this report, we will take a look at what you, as a spectator and a photographer, can expect to experience at Cadwell Park Modified Live 2025. If you get inspired by this report and wish you had gone to Cadwell, fear not; there are plenty of similar events being held this year. You can find out more about the events here at the next event, JDM JAM at Donington Park.  

The concept of Modified Live originated as an event designed to showcase customised vehicles, blending car shows with track days to create an immersive experience for enthusiasts. Unlike traditional car shows focusing solely on aesthetics, Modified Live events emphasise performance, featuring Time Attack, Drift demonstrations, and the Racing Hondas Championship.

Display cars

I have been going to Modified Live for years with various car clubs and more recently with the PistonClick team. During those visits I have seen some significant changes in the car club scene over the last 20 years. Back in the day it was all about ascetics and noise. Large spoilers, flash wheels and noisy exhausts were the standard fit in the modified car scene. 

These days the noisy exhausts are still there but the eye popping paint jobs and questionable aero kits have started to fade away. They are still around but not as prevalent these days. Is this change in style a natural progression into a more refined look or society demanding we all conform. I do hope it’s not the latter. We need mavericks in society if we don’t have this desire to change and try to improve we as a species are dead in the water. The human condition demands that we climb the highest mountain, try to be the fastest and strive to be the best we can be.

Time Attack

This desire to be the fastest is at the forefront of the Time Attack concept. Take your production road car and make it as fast as possible. Time Attack is all about setting the fastest lap you can, Its not racing but it is. There are loads of different car classes that race against the clock around the track. Now in its 20th year there seems to be as much enthusiasm for the concept as there was at the first meeting.

Racing Hondas Championship

A relatively new race series the Racing Hondas Championship has attracted a solid following both on and off track. The series has three classes, A, B and C. These classes are closely regulated to ensure the racing is close with power to weight ratios being strictly monitored.

Open to most Hondas the top class does allow supercharging and heavy modifications to the aero. The lower class is more for the for the dedicated track day addict who wants to make the step up into racing. What this means for the spectator is there are battles going on throughout the race so it is great to watch. 

Drift Demonstrations 

As a spectator photographer the drifting is the highlight of the show. As an action motorsport it’s hard to beat from the perspective of the spectator. The cars arriving as singles, doubles and triples were excellent to watch. Clouds of tire smoke, crazy attack angles and the roar of high power engines drifting is very entertaining.

Last year we had a full on drifting competition with commentary and explanations on the art of drifting. In 2025 there was only a demonstration of drifting with no judging. Not having a full on competition did slightly reduce the experience for me. The drifters were not as committed as they were back in 2024 but still put on a good show. 

As one set of cars disappeared around Barn Corner the next set were arriving at the entrance to Hall Bends. This continual flow of drift cars attracted plenty of spectators. My top tip is arrive early for the drifting if you want to get a good view, the crowd was about five deep where I was stood!

Modified Live 2025 Photographic Post Script

So that’s a brief overview of Modified Live from Cadwell Park, but there is more. PistonClick, in collaboration with the Time Attack team, will support the upcoming Pit Wall of Fame. This motorsport photographic competition highlights on-track action, crowds, and trade stands from the spectator photographer’s perspective. You can sign up for this free to enter competition here and get more details about the competition category’s.

As a spectator photographer Modified Live and its sister shows are hard to beat for a day out with your camera. It ticks a lot of boxes for the automotive enthusiast. From the aggressive Time Attack, Racing Hondas and the spectacular drifting you are not short of track action to capture. At Cadwell the team used the standard 70-200mm f2.8 motorsport lens. To get the feeling of speed we were dropping our shutter speeds down to 40th of a second. At the next events you might need a different set of lenses. Fortunately you lucky people we have guides to all of the tracks in the UK here to give you a head start. 

Moving away from the track and visiting the car clubs you can indulge your static photography skills. Don’t forget the paddocks are open so there are plenty of opportunities here as well. A short or wide angle focal length lens works best here. If you have a smart phone the paddocks and clubs stands are perfect for this type of photography. With huge crowds it is also worth trying to incorporate the spectators and also the race teams into your images.

It’s not just about cars at Modified Live. I will look forward to seeing your images and seeing if you have captured the culture, atmosphere and action at the upcoming events. 

Thanks to RPW and Georgie Photography for the images used in this report. Our other car show reports can be found by clicking the image below.