Scrambling for Drive It Day

Bicester Heritage is somewhere every classic car fan really must visit. Based on the former RAF Bicester site, this unique place is a mecca for vehicle enthusiasts and aims to be the UK's first business park dedicated to classic motoring, hosting car clubs, workshops, dealers, storage facilities, driving experiences and much more. Sunday 23rd April was the national Drive It Day and one of Bicester Heritage's three annual 'Sunday Scramble' open days held in January, April and October, and being just a few miles from home it was a nice little run for the Maxi. It had been a couple of years since I last visited, and both the site and the event have grown massively since then. It has been suggested that more than 4000 tickets were sold and the majority seemed to be for exhibitors so there must have been well over a thousand cars on display.

When did you last see a Vauxhall Viceroy? This bland-looking saloon was one of the rarest cars there.

The transformation has been quite remarkable and vast amounts of time and money must have been invested as they took over the near 400-acre site just four years ago in a state of advanced dereliction, but about 80% of the historic buildings are now restored and occupied and work is progressing well on the rest. A show at Bicester Heritage is far more than the usual field full of cars as the location itself is of immense historical interest, being the best-preserved World War 2 airbase in the country, and forms a unique backdrop. There are so many roads and buildings scattered around that it is difficult to systematically walk around everything in a logical manner, and odd clusters of random vehicles can be found all over the place so you can often turn a corner and stumble across something unexpected.

It wasn't just cars. The Brooklands Museum brought their fire engine.

The event opened at 9am and we arrived at exactly that time to find dozens of cars already on site and just managed to secure one of the last of the prime parking spaces within the main complex. There was a constant stream of arrivals and departures throughout the whole day so when one car left another soon took its place, and no doubt I missed a lot as by the time I reached the airfield after lunch there were quite a few gaps. While the club displays were placed on the airfield, individual exhibitors parked wherever space could be found, making for a very diverse selection from pre-war limousines to modern supercars and everything in between - Bicester Heritage isn't at all pompous and welcomes all forms of classic and interesting cars, even those at the cheaper end of the market.

There aren't many 505s left thanks to the export trade. Where has this one been hiding for the last 30 years?

There was a lot of very exotic and valuable stuff such as pre-war Bentleys, Bugattis, Lamborghinis and Ferraris, but even in this company the humble Maxi still attracted attention. The number of down-to-earth family cars was comparatively small but included some unassuming gems that were probably much rarer than some of the exotica. They may not be to everyone's tastes and probably got ignored by some visitors who felt they weren't very special, but my favourites were three largely forgotten and virtually extinct models from the eighties and nineties, a Fiat Tempra, a Vauxhall Viceroy and a Peugeot 505. The latter must have an interesting story behind it, having been taken off the road in 1985 when just two years old and with a mere 7000 miles on the clock. Another low-mileage survivor is a Maestro owned by the resident motor oil specialist (aptly based in the former RAF oil store), which looked rather incongruous in the exotic company of a race-prepared Alfa Romeo and a Lancia Stratos.

Stratos...Alfa GTV...Maestro?! All classics are welcome at Bicester.

With the owners' club holding their AGM at Gaydon on the same day, I wasn't expecting to see another Maxi and had become convinced ours was the only one when I encountered a second out on the airfield, but there were still only two in an entry of over a thousand cars. Apart from the ubiquitous Minis and a Rover club stand, there wasn't a huge number of British Leyland cars, but a fine-looking Sandglow Princess was a welcome sight. The airfield was home to numerous clubs, and BMW and Porsche owners in particular were out in force. I don't know if anyone else shares this view but I find single-model club displays a bit overwhelming; for instance, one Lancia Monte Carlo by itself would be an unusual sight worthy of individual attention, but seeing ten similar cars all together lost the impact somewhat, so I preferred the element of surprise among the non-club exhibits.

The only other Maxi in a field of over a thousand cars

This was a rare opportunity to see behind the normally closed doors of the many businesses based on site, and without exception they had interesting things to see and friendly and enthusiastic staff on hand. The vintage machines here aren't just props in a museum or a film set, but are used by real people to do real jobs so the whole site is constantly alive with genuine activity that isn't staged for the event. These include several classic car dealers, a blasting specialist, a magneto repairer and a trim shop, all fairly niche but important skills that have been brought together in the perfect location to foster their expertise. A very welcome recent development sees the introduction of car restoration and maintenance courses in conjunction with Banbury & Bicester College, with a fully-equipped workshop, experienced instructors and various project cars on hand to ensure these valuable skills are passed on to the younger generation in a supportive environment.

A peek inside Pendine Historics' premises. This rare Alfa could be yours for a shade under £100,000.

Bicester Heritage truly is an amazing place and somewhere all car enthusiasts really need to visit at least once. The Sunday Scramble is far more than your average car show, being held in a uniquely historic location surrounded by residents who share a huge passion for classic motoring, and all of this adds up to a fantastic atmosphere unlike anywhere else. It is indescribable really - part car show, part working museum, part historical reenactment, part urban exploration. The concept of a business park devoted entirely to motoring-related activities is unprecedented, but the team behind Bicester Heritage have pulled it off in grand style and established a formidable reputation in just four short years, so I look forward to seeing how the site continues to develop in the future and wish them continued success in this unique venture.

Roald Dahl fans will recognise this. Just one of the many unexpected things to be found at a Sunday Scramble.