The Hawkins tartan car turning heads at Cornwall proms

A Kia EV6 wrapped head to bonnet in Cornish tartan has become an unlikely star of this year’s prom season, after two Cornwall students picked it as the car to arrive in.

The vehicle belongs to Hawkins Motor Group, which had it wrapped in Cornish tartan to mark the family firm’s love of Cornwall and its long roots in the county. It already had a bit of a profile before the invitations started arriving, having appeared in a Hawkins television advert.

A Poltair student’s grand entrance

Poltair School student Andrew Tracey chose the tartan EV6 for his prom. His family have been Hawkins customers for years, and Andrew felt the car fitted the occasion.

“I’ve always loved the tartan car and thought it was such a brilliant way to celebrate Cornwall,” Andrew said. “My family have been customers of Hawkins for years, so when prom came around, it felt like the perfect choice. I’m really proud to be Cornish and there was definitely no better way to arrive. It certainly turned a few heads and made the evening even more memorable.”

From a Polzeath headland to prom night

The tartan car first got people talking when it featured alongside Kernow King, Edward Rowe, in a Hawkins television advert filmed on the headland overlooking Polzeath. Since then it has turned into a sort of rolling emblem of Cornish pride, popping up wherever it goes, including at the Royal Cornwall Show 2026.

Andrew was not the only student to make an entrance in it. The car made a second prom appearance for Truro High School student Holly, daughter of Hawkins Hayle Sales Executive Geoff.

Holly was not sure about it to begin with. “I was a little dubious at first but when I saw everyone’s reactions to the car I was made up,” she said.

Ninety years in Cornwall

Hawkins Motor Group has served Cornwall since 1933 and remains family-owned. For director Johnny Hawkins, seeing local families enjoy the car is the whole point of it.

“When we created the Cornish tartan EV6, we wanted to celebrate our pride in Cornwall and the generations of local families who have supported our business over the years,” Johnny said. “Seeing Andrew choose the car for his prom was fantastic and exactly what the car is all about. As a family business that has been part of our local communities for more than 90 years, it’s wonderful to see that same pride in Cornwall continuing through younger generations.”

The tartan EV6 is still out and about, drawing looks at events across the county.