THE PIONEERS

From vehicles born at the dawn of motoring to a 1970s rotary-engined cult machine, these cars each started a revolution in their own unique ways

Words Jack Phillips

Photography Charlie B, Alex Shore

WHEN RAF BICESTER WAS created in 1927, it was at the very forefront of military technology. The two A Type hangars were the first on any British base in the world. The prototype Handley Page Halifax first flew from this very runway on October 25, 1939, and the Blenheim prototype spent time in Bicester as a vehicle to train scores of airmen.

The Pioneers category of demo and display cars honours those traditions in all sorts of ways, and will be on track at 11:00am and 2:30pm on Saturday and Sunday. The selection goes far beyond the usual interpretation of the word in an automotive sense, but motoring’s most pioneering time of all – the earliest days – are accounted for.

Sir George White, Harry Fraser and Dan Cogger will each climb aboard cars more than 100 years old: a Panhard et Levassor, Overland and Knox respectively. The White family, founder of Bristol Aeroplane

Company and later Bristol Cars, has owned the Panhard since new, when firm co-founder Stanley collected it from Paris and sped back to the UK. Bicester Heritage resident Hagerty owns the 1903 Knox Model C, while the Overland commands the frontage of Harry’s trim business on the Technical Site. All three are London to Brighton Veteran Car Run regulars.

Perhaps the most celebrated car is Jaguar C-type XKC 005, the first of any brand to win an international race with disc brakes, when Stirling Moss cruised home in 1952 at Reims.

The pioneering credentials of Robert Hassall-Gibson’s Ford Model T, which earned its keep on the US’s dusty oval dirt tracks, should need no introduction. The T took motoring to the masses and effectively gave rise to the production line. Britain’s equivalent is the Austin Seven, and Angus Forsyth’s rally-ready roadster is its representative here.

Another T, a Dry Lakes Roadster, honours its maker – not Henry Ford, but Peter Stevens, one of Britain’s finest designers. His resumé includes the Le Mans-winning McLaren F1, the Jaguar XJR-15, the redesigned Lotus Esprit and more – including this Ford Alexander Special, having assembled it in the early 2000s.

OPPOSITE Model T special honours one of Britain’s most forward-thinking car designers, Peter Stevens, while the RX-3 championed the rotary engine.

The RX-3’s small but mighty rotary unit takes up little space in the engine bay but certainly makes its presence felt, and the Mazda was a key model in the 1970s rotary cult. Ultimately it failed to truly break into the mainstream, but that the company is revisiting the tech today underlines just how pioneering the Wankel was. The RX-3 itself is a rarity in the UK, but enjoyed success racing Stateside – keep an ear out for its unique, enthralling sound.

The Pioneers can be found on static display on the Main Drive by Building 123 on the Technical Site, and will take to the Experience & Demonstration Track each day.

The Entrants

1918/1932 Ford Model

T/B Dry Lakes hot rod

1960 Aston Martin

DB4GT

1973 Mazda RX-3

1903 Knox Model C

1903 Panhard et Levassor 10HP

1952 Jaguar C-type

1916 Ford T Racer

1910 Overland Model

38 Speedster

1930 Austin Ulster

EA Sports

1996 Ferrari F50

N/A Porsche 356

1965 Land Rover Series IIA

1929 Bentley 41/2 Litre Supercharged