The first Bicester Scramble of the Year on Sunday 5 January was immensely well supported given the dire weather warnings and the snow that swept across the UK in the early hours of the preceding night. An eclectic range of hundreds of classics, modern classics and supercars braved freezing fog and rain to converge on the slushy ex-RAF base for a chilly morning filled with camaraderie and superb cars.
Among the star attendees were a well-known Porsche Carrera GT which made light work of the snow and ice, a yellow DeTomaso Pantera, which probably shares the bravest attendee award for taking on the treacherous conditions with the Peugeot 205 T16, and a wonderful Fiat Panda 4x4x Sisley complete with a monkey bike on the roof.
The on-site businesses as usual put on some great shows, but highlight for Octane was the central MT Yard, which housed everything from Porsche 904 to Lola T70 and Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM. Other racing monsters included a trio of Jaguar, Porsche and Nissan Group C icons laid on by Moto Historics.
It was perhaps appropriate that as a counterpoint to all the high-tech, not least in the McLaren shed, the vehicles best suited to the conditions were those in the special displays of tractors manufactured by car companies and a selection of Land Rovers reflecting its evolution.
Other impressive showings included Callum Designs with both the Skye that was unveiled at the 2024 Concours on Savile Row and the roadable C-X75 that featured in Octane 253 (click here to read the full feature), plus the HCVA, Starter Motor charity and Heritage Skills Academy. And that’s before you’ve started oil the treasures in the car park…
Hagerty opened up its clubhouse to all-comers to launch its 2024-25 Bull Market report hosted by Paul Cowland. The insurance company outlined its current top buys based on its massive bank of data but with a headline of ’10 cars worth considering in the coming year’ its bull market reflected the market by being rather less bullish than in previous years. Even so its top tips are:
2000–01 Subaru Impreza P1
1977–80 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II
1994–99 Ferrari F355
1965–69 Porsche 912
2002–05 Alfa Romeo 147 GTA
1994–2000 Toyota RAV4
1959–68 Austin-Healey 3000
1994–2002 Range Rover P38A
1992–98 Maserati Ghibli
1991–96 Peugeot 106 S1 Rallye
