From pre-war rarities to the latest showroom stunners, more than 350 classic British sports cars are set to descend on Beaulieu this month.

The motor museum in the heart of the New Forest is hosting its Simply Aston Martin day on Sunday, April 2, following on from the success of the inaugural event last year.

One of the biggest gatherings of Aston Martins in the south, Beaulieu is expecting an even more impressive turn-out at the rally.

“We were thrilled by the impressive turn-out for the first Simply Aston Martin," says senior events executive Andy Ollerenshaw.

"Judging by the response from Aston Martin owners and feedback from visitors, this year’s rally should be even more fantastic and we hope to hit a total of 400 Astons.”

Aston Martin owners are invited to park up in the picturesque grounds of the National Motor Museum to display their cars, admire prized machines, chat with like-minded enthusiasts and enjoy all of the features of one of the south’s leading visitor attractions.

Two area branches of the Aston Martin Owners’ Club are already booked to attend the event, while Aston Martin dealers will lead convoys of their customers’ cars to join the impressive line-up.

With every age and model of Aston Martin welcome, performance motoring fans can be sure to see a diverse mix of historic models, post-war classics and modern-day favourites.

Throughout the day, event participants and Beaulieu’s attraction visitors will have the chance to vote for their favourite car of the show with the People’s Choice Award. In the afternoon, the winner will receive a Beaulieu trophy, before leading a cavalcade of the most popular cars through the attraction grounds.

Simply Aston Martin is one of eight Simply rallies, including Simply Porsche, Simply VW, Simply Land Rover, Simply Jaguar, Simply Japanese and Simply Smart.

The next rally will be Simply Ford on April 30. Each event celebrates a particular marque or motoring theme, giving enthusiasts and attraction visitors the chance to see some of their favourite machines close up.

For participants arriving in an Aston Martin and joining Simply Aston Martin in the Beaulieu grounds, entrance tickets are £10 an adult and £5 a child. Tickets can be bought on the day or in advance online. To buy a ticket or for more information see beaulieu.co.uk/events or call 01590 612888.

Included in the admission ticket is access to all of the Beaulieu attraction, including the National Motor Museum and its collection of more than 250 vehicles, the World of Top Gear, On Screen Cars, the 13th century Beaulieu Abbey, Palace House – which has been home to the Montagu family since 1538 – and its stunning grounds and gardens.

:: Entry into the Beaulieu parkland for participants is from 9.30am, when the Brabazon Restaurant will be serving hot drinks and breakfast snacks. All other visitors should enter Beaulieu though the Visitor Reception building with a standard attraction admission ticket from 10am.

:: For more information on the 2017 Beaulieu events calendar, visit beaulieu.co.uk/events or search Twitter @Beaulieu_Hants, Facebook at /nationalmotormuseum or Instagram @national_motor_museum.

A range of other events are set to take at Beaulieu over the comings months, including:

April 23 - Beaulieu’s 40th Boatjumble: Search for boating bargains at the largest outdoor sale of maritime items in Europe.

April 30 - Simply Ford: One of the biggest and most popular rallies, more than 1,000 Fords expected to join the display.

May 13-14 - Spring Autojumble: More than 1,000 stands offering everything from automobilia to cars for sale.

May 14 - Land Rover Rummage: A spares-sourcing opportunity, selling anything and everything related to Land Rovers.

June 4 - Simply Porsche: An event for Porsche owners and enthusiasts.

June 11 - Mini Cooper Day: The 31st annual National Mini Cooper Register Rally.

June 17 - Simply VW: Vee Dubs of every type are invited to join this great day out for Volkswagen fans and visitors.

June 18 - Father’s Day Hot Rod & Custom Drive-In Day: Custom, Hot-Rod and Classic American cars and bikes, Vintage Village and live entertainment.

June 25 - Simply Land Rover: Celebrating the legendary 4x4.

July 9 - Simply Jaguar: This event returns for its second year with an impressive display of these treasured machines.

July 30 - Simply Japanese: Showcasing members’ cars, from city runabouts to performance sports cars.

August 5-6 - Beaulieu Supercar Weekend: A high octane two-day event celebrating the supercar, its icons, its history and its future.