Scramble programme: April 2024

WELCOME

Daniel Geoghegan Chief Executive

The very foundations of Bicester Heritage are built on a mission to drive the future of the past, and today’s Scramble is a literal representation of that decade-plus desire.

Not only does that materialise in the buildings and their specialist occupants, but in the very centre of the site are 20 cars brought together by StarterMotor to celebrate the talents of the young people that give up their weekends and evenings to promote the use of old cars to their generation.

Half of the cars on the main lawn by the Station Armoury have been worked on by those apprentices and young professionals – from

humble Austin Sevens to the multi-million-pound intricacies of an Aston Martin Formula 1 car. The other half are just as important because they are loaned or gifted to StarterMotor to allow young people the opportunity to have access to motoring they ordinarily would not.

It is particularly fitting that today celebrates StarterMotor because it is the last with David Withers at the helm of the charity. As likely to be seen in StarterMotor coverall as he is presenting to schools, Dave, as he is universally known, has been the award-winning driving force behind the flourishing charity. Filling those boots is a task as enviable as it is unenviable, we wish him and Louie the very best in retirement.

I hope you enjoy today’s Scramble and that you and your youngsters leave Bicester Heritage inspired to be a part of this wonderful industry. We look forward to seeing you in October, when the first shoots of the Innovation Quarter will welcome you through the gates, building on the foundations of the past 11 years.

Hit the road, Big Cat Honda gathers generations

CALLUM Designs is revealing a very special car by Building 123 in the Armoury car park: a road-legal Jaguar C-X75. But not just any one of the exclusive concept hybrid supercars, if any could be described as such, but this is one of the very cars used in the Bond film Spectre

Ian Callum while at Jaguar, in partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering, the concept never made it to production or officially hit the road – until today.

CALLUM was tasked with converting the car to gain individual vehicle approval for use on the road and it will drive into place through Gate 1 of Bicester Heritage.

A rare Honda S800 convertible and coupé are coming together as its modern descendant, the S2000, turns 25. Honda’s own restored S800 convertible is alongside a matching coupé, flanking the exclusive Edition 100 S2000 from the manufacturer’s heritage fleet. The high-revving cult modern classic was launched in April 1999 to celebrate the brand’s 50th birthday, 34 years after its predecessor, the S800, was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Bentley’s century of success

Bentley’s most recent overall winner of Le Mans is on display on the Main Drive by Scramblers to mark 100 years of the British marque winning Le Mans.

Bentley won via the privateer entry of John Duff in 1924, aided by factory test driver Frank Clement, to become the first

overseas winner of the race.

A factory effort for the remainder of the decade, it won five times in seven years.

The brand returned in 2001 and was rewarded with overall victory in 2003. Like it had seven decades before, Bentley wound down its racing division without defending its crown.

The beautiful Speed 8, chassis 004/5, that won in 2003 is representing the century of success fresh from restoration last year.

Swift hits six

Suzuki is celebrating 40 years of the innovative little Swift with a line-up of each generation into Innovation@Scramble, beside The Little Car Company. The manufacturer has recently acquired a true rarity for its heritage fleet in the shape of the UK’s only road-registered first-generation Swift.

Joining the 1987 ‘Executive’-spec Swift is a 1.0-litre GLS from 2001, the acclaimed redesigned Mk3, punchy Mk4 and the most recent hybridonly fifth generation. Finishing the line-up is the newest, soon-to-be launched Swift.

Nearby you’ll find Jimny Beans, an LCV model converted to a mobile coffee bar. All proceeds will be donated to StarterMotor.

AROUND THE SCRAMBLE

Try before you buy

Alpine, official partner of the Scramble and Bicester Heritage, is giving you the chance to get behind the wheel of one of its critically

Visit Scramblers on the Main Drive for stickers, Bicester Heritage caps, memberships and more!

AROUND THE SCRAMBLE

Meet the Plug-in Polaris

The Innovation@Scramble zone features one of the first opportunities to see the new Polaris XP Kinetic up close, courtesy of Polaris Banbury.

The all-electric off-roader is capable of up to 80 miles on a charge, and has enviable capabilities to cover any ground. Industry leading ground clearance and suspension travel is matched to the most power and torque of any Polaris before it.

Little pedalers

Give your youngster their first taste of driving with Mini Landers, little electric offroaders that are scaling the rolling green opposite Historit. Plus, the pedal planes and elastic-band flyers are back in Hangar 113 and you’ll find the varied entertainment of Little Top by the StarterMotor Concours display.

Sky rides

You can take to the skies this Scramble courtesy of Turweston Helicopters, one of the UK’s leading operators. Flights will be running between 10am and 4pm and the trips cost £59 per person. To book or to find out more information, visit the stall by Hangar 113. Restrictions apply.

Rate my car

Renowned journalist and presenter Chris Harris will be running the rule over some of the latest cars consigned to Collecting Cars, live and on camera in Hangar 113. He’ll be pulling no punches, and will call on his decades of experience as one the most respected voices in motoring to discuss the offerings of the online marketplace. Plus, head to Hangar 113 at 11am for a Q&A with Chris, too.

cultures, landscapes and significant sites around the world.

ITINERIS focuses on providing exceptional organisation, awe-inspiring routes, top-notch hospitality and flawlessly curated experiences.

ITINERIS has taken over the HERO-ERA HQ in the Command Works and you could win a driving experience by building your perfect road trip today.

OTHER EVENTS IN 2024

Build-It Live (8-9 Jun) • Vegan Camp Out (26-29 Jul) • Rollhard (4 Aug)

For tickets visit bicesterheritage.co.uk/events

*Pegasus membership required to book EVENTS CALENDAR

CONCOURS

The future of the old-car industry is being celebrated on the main lawn by the Station Armoury, not by pulling out future or modern classics. Instead, the central display has been handed over to the Ambassadors of StarterMotor, the charity with the simple mission: to put young people in old cars.

Ambassadors are young professionals and apprentices who volunteer for StarterMotor, and they’ve brought some of the cars from their day jobs. From Ferraris to Austin Sevens, Aston Martins to Subaru Imprezas, it is as eclectic as it is inspiring. This is just some of their stories, and you’ll hear some throughout the day with a series of ‘Show and Tell’ interviews from 10am.

Andrew Evans

Car: 2023 Aston Martin AMR23

Company: Aston Martin Aramco Formula 1 Team

As a research and design engineer at Aston Martin F1 Team, I am responsible for designing test rigs, supporting tests, processing data and reporting results to feed back into the component design process. For AMR23, represented today by a variety of parts, I was responsible for testing of the main chassis structure and bodywork components (front wing, nose, rear wing and floor). It was a hugely successful year, with three second places among eight podiums.

Emily Cauldicott

Car: 1978 MG Midget

Company: N/A

‘Alfie’ had been off the road for three years before I recommissioned it. I stripped the brakes front and back, cleaning them and replacing the perished rubber seals. I painted the calipers and rear drums, and new rear cylinders have been installed along with a new battery. I’ve drained the old unusable fuel, fitted a new gear lever gaiter, checked over the carburettors and cleaned the air filters. I removed the roll bar and added the vinyl stripe and stickers before taking it to the Classic Car & Restoration Show with the Midget Owners’ Club – all aged 14.

Callum Staff

Car: 1936 Aston Martin

Speed Model

Company: Ecurie Bertelli

Equally at home on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans as it is on the twists and turns of an Italian mountain pass, this purpose-built race and rally car is the ultimate all rounder. It is special to me because it remains a constant companion even now, after my apprenticeship. I have been lucky enough to support the car at most of its outings over the last four years, attending some of the most prestigious events in the historic-motoring calendar. To be able to use this car, just because, is a real treat. One that I will never pass up on!

CONCOURS

Izzie Holman

Car: 2000 Subaru Impreza

Company: Silverstone Rally School

I am the sales and marketing manager at Silverstone Rally School and this is a car that we use for our ‘Hot Laps’, where the instructor takes the customer around the rally stage at the end of their session so they can see how it’s really done. We also use it for filming and events like this!

Tom Lee

Car: 1927 Bugatti Type 37A

Company: Ashton Keynes Vintage Restorations (AKVR)

When SY6 came to AKVR it was in need of recommissioning, following a couple of uncharacteristic years off the road. Despite

Moss Foster

Car: 1966 Jaguar E-type

Company: Moss Jaguar

My involvement began when I was an apprentice. The car is very original but underwent a full restoration to improve the reliability and exterior paint condition; I’ve since worked on the front suspension. I drove the car to and from Shelsley Walsh, where it was on display next to the famous Cut 7, testing the new air-conditioning in nearly 30ºC! It had other tasteful upgrades for increased grand–touring

Dan Lawson

Car: 1967/2005 Eagle

E-type Roadster

Company: Eagle E-types

My role at Eagle is extremely varied but the majority of my work is in sales and marketing, whether handling sales enquiries, creating and sharing social media and website content or attending events. All of these form a vital part of how Eagle is perceived. Having an incredible product makes my job quite easy because the cars market themselves – I just need to put them in front of people! We have a fantastic team of experts restoring the cars; my job is to communicate the quality of this workmanship to potential customers. For example, this E-type was restored almost 20 years ago and remains in fantastic condition.

Simon Ponseele

Car: 1923 Bentley 3 Litre Boat-tail Roadster

Company: Kingsbury Racing

The car had been in a museum for most of its life, and we were asked to recommission it for the new owner at Kingsbury Racing. It is chassis 178, which makes it a very early car without front brakes! Most of the cars were recalled in period to have them fitted, but the previous owner reverted it to the original mechanical specification before adding it to his museum in the 1960s. When it arrived at Kingsbury we went over all of the basics before we even attempted to start it – it now drives and runs great.

Morgan Wallace

Car: 1936 Riley Sprite

Sports

Company: Blue Diamond Riley Services

Known as ‘Dug’ because of its numberplate, this Riley Sprite contested the Rallye Monte Carlo in 1937 and won the 1500cc class. It has spent all of its life competing, and continues to contest HERO-ERA events. In March it entered The Novice Trial and finished fourth in its class.

CONCOURS

James Mabley

Will Gilmore

Car: 1969 Lotus Seven S3 Company: The Vintage Wireman

The car has been in my family its whole life, but after being battered in hillclimbs it was in bits for more than 30 years. I took ownership in 2019 and have been restoring it to original specification since. StarterMotor has helped me get in contact with specialists for advice on parts of the restoration I found challenging. I found out the car was never registered, and, with the help of the Historic Lotus Register, we were able to get a period number plate.

Car: 1929 Austin Seven C-cab van Company: Oxfordshire Sevens

This Austin Seven C-cab van was brought to Oxfordshire Sevens for a check over after the customer bought the car. The work included an adjustment of brakes and a spanner check to ensure the car was safe to drive. The customer also asked us to make a list of minor issues for him to fix and we will soon be giving this car a tune. That will include adjusting the tappets to ensure the engine is running smoothly. Alongside the van is ‘Conan’, an Ulster replica built by Oxfordshire Sevens 12 years ago. Thanks to the owner’s huge generosity, I will be racing the car with the VSCC and 750MC this year.

More Concours cars:

1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT LM

thanks to… Bell Sport & Classic

1967 Jaguar S-type

1936 Alvis Speed 20

2001 Audi TT

1929 Austin Seven

1933 Austin Ten

1954 Citroën Traction Avant

1964 Riley One-Point Five

1934 Singer Nine

1931 Alvis 12/60 ‘Beetleback’

2000 Jaguar S-type

Explore the Heritage Trail to uncover the answers to these five questions – all will be revealed by scanning the QR codes on some of the buildings.

Which Hollywood blockbuster used the Power House (Building 82) for key scenes? T_

What was inside the Link Trainer (Building 103)? F

When was the Station Armoury (Building 123) built? 1

What was in the roof of the Station Offices (Building 147)? C _ _ _ _ _ O _ _ _ _ _ _

How long is Hangar 79? _ _ _ ft

Found all the answers?

Collect your free neon Scramblers tag from StarterMotor!

Find the following words in the grid below:

Bicester

Heritage Classics Planes Cars Scramble Airfield Motion Scramblers Engine

Z M K F D P V E V I N N S S C

X B J H O K N B S E W L R A W

N U F R Q I I E O E S D E J Y

R C L D G T L V D S V V L I X

S Y N N R B U X D V E Q B Z F

G C E C M A P Q L X E N M D X

F X Z A L I W H E P O R A L A

H F R B E A W N I T D E R L Q

T C H C A R S X F N K T C T P

S K A L N C Y S R Y R S S X D

Z S P Q K F J K I P R E A F X

D C X U N J Q H A C K C P P L

H E B I C J N D B X S I U E M

E G A T I R E H G O X B N X T

N O I T O M S F C H K E D K H

Answers on next page, no peeping!