Each January, Bicester Motion’s opening Scramble of the year offers a pertinent reminder of just how deep the UK public’s passion for motoring runs, with freezing conditions doing little to deter the sell-out crowd from descending on the former World War Two RAF base.
Any Scramble regular will tell you that much of the appeal comes from exploring the grounds and never quite knowing what will be greeting you around the next corner. And, like any great motoring event, the car park is a spectacle in of itself, with rare, unusual and exotic cars parked amongst everyday runarounds.
This latest edition saw Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) take centre stage with a landmark selection of vehicles arranged in the main hangar in celebration of the firm’s 50th anniversary. The near-50-car selection spanned TWR’s early years preparing Renault 5s for the UK’s one-make series to its legendary Le Mans-winning race cars, as well as the recent Jaguar XJS-based Supercat restomod.
Other TWR highlights included the wild Jaguar XJ220-engined Ford Transit, the Volvo S40 and 850 touring cars, an original Jaguar XJS TWR, the 24 Hours of Spa-winning Mazda RX7, Vauxhall VXR8s, Renault Clio V6s and plenty more besides. Visitors also had the chance to listen to legendary designer Ian Callum, who helped shape the Aston Martin DB7 and Vanquish while leading TWR Design, before going on to lead Jaguar’s design department in 1999.
Outside the hangar were several cars that would be the main attraction of lesser events, including a Koenigsegg Agera and Bugatti Veyron positioned by a Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato and a Ferrari GTC4 Lusso. They looked all the better for wearing muddy splashes of winter road grime. Parked among the cars on the other side of the hangar apron was a limited-edition Volkswagen Touareg W12 Sport that had been imported from Japan.
Top Gear magazine returned to host the event’s central display to showcase its Car of the Year Awards winners and long-term fleet. Octane favourites included the stunning Kimera 037 restomod, the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution and the Artic-prepared Toyota Hilux that Jeremy Clarkson and James May drove to the North Pole in 2007.
Metres beyond Top Gear’s display, in the quad at the heart of the site, sat Lamborghini’s new Temarario, incongruously parked alongside a well-worn Hummer H1. Lurking in the building behind were three machines born of Gordon Murray’s design genius: a pair of GMA T.50 development prototypes parked nose to nose, vying for attention with a Light Car Company Rocket.
By mid-morning, the Scramble’s mix of cars and characters was at its peak – underlined by the appearance of Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay, who we spotted chatting to fellow enthusiasts beside his Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII.
Despite the frigid temperatures and bracing winds sweeping the airfield, enthusiasts lingered well into the early afternoon – as is Scramble tradition.
The Scramble occupies a unique place in the UK car calendar as a simple and relaxed event that offers something to enthusiasts of all ages and persuasions – and for that reason, it’s pretty hard to beat.
It’s no wonder tickets sell out quickly, so be sure to secure yours early for Bicester Motion’s next Scramble on Sunday 26 April. Tickets are available here.
