Our favourite cars at the last Sunday Scramble of 2018

Thousands head to Bicester for this year’s final Scramble

Yesterday (7 October), the magnificently restored WW2 RAF bomber training base at Bicester Heritage reverberated to the sounds of historic cars of all ages, as enthusiasts from across the country descended on the Oxfordshire site for the final Sunday Scramble of 2018. 

Nearly 5000 advance tickets were joined by hundreds more arriving on the day, bringing a fascinating mixture of vintage, classic and supercars to the venue’s Technical Site and demonstration course, with more spilling out on to the grass beside the airfield. 

Here’s just a selection of our favourites, starting with a gorgeous Fiat 850 Coupé (above).

Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia

There were several examples of this beautiful coachbuilt version of the Beetle to be seen around the Technical Site, but we particularly liked this attractively patinated two-tone Karmann-Ghia Coupé.

1972 BMW 2002

Among the many Bicester-based businesses to throw open their doors was Pendine, which boasted some serious exotica within the reinforced walls of The Blast House.

Parked up outside was the fabulous ‘Gold Member’, a BMW 2002 racer that was driven by Jochen Mass at the 72nd Goodwood Members’ Meeting – yours for £41,000!

Fordson light truck

Commercial vehicles seemed to be a theme for the October Scramble, and this little Fordson was an absolute delight. With its scuffed green-over-black paintwork, it looked like an extra from one of the many movies that have recently been shot at the historic site.

1985 Renault 5 Turbo 2

Who doesn’t love a roadgoing Group B rally car? We weren’t able to catch up with the owner to find out if this stunning Renault 5 Turbo 2 is the genuine article – but if it’s a replica, it’s a very good one indeed, with all the right bits.

Reliant Rebel

This one is cheating slightly, because the cheeky red Rebel lives on site, but when did you last see one of these? We particularly liked the ‘Reliant Services Stirchley’ sticker from its supplying dealer in the back window.

1972 TVR 2500M

The TVR Car Club was out in force as ever, with models from all eras of the Blackpool marque. This Triumph 2.5-litre early M-series looked particularly smart outside one of the large C-type hangars, with a later Chimaera alongside.

Hillman Avenger

A classic ‘my dad had one of those’ car drawing plenty of attention was this superb Hillman Avenger, a real rarity in such fine condition. Check out those fantastic wheeltrims!

TVR 350i

Another C-type hangar and another TVR, but this time an early example of the long-running ‘wedge’ series, powered by the ubiquitous Buick-derived Rover V8 engine.

1947 Plymouth Special De Luxe

There were plenty of American classics on display, none more elegant than this rather lovely Plymouth drophead, which burbled in quietly and looked fantastic with its gleaming chrome and spatted rear wheels.

Lincoln Continental MkV

From the elegance of a 1940s Plymouth to the excess of the 1970s, which is perfectly summed up by this magnificently opulent Lincoln Continental MkV Givenchy Edition, complete with hidden headlights, opera windows and Continental spare wheel mounting.

Clubbing together

The Bicester demonstration track was flooded with classics from all manner of car clubs, from the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club, via the Wartburg Trabant IFA Clubs to the MG Car Club, whose MGF Register brought along a glut of mid-engined roadsters.

Audi 100 5S

There’s nothing quite like seeing a car that was once common on our roads, but today is a true ‘unicorn’ – and this superbly preserved Audi certainly qualifies. The five-cylinder executive express looked as if it had just rolled out of the showroom.

Porsche 924 Carrera GTS

Perhaps the biggest club turnout of all was the field-full of Stuttgart classics from Porsche Club GB. Standing out among the endless lines of 911s and Boxsters was this super-rare 924 Carrera GTS, one of just 59 cars built for homologation.

BMW-Alpina B12 5.0

Among the delights brought along by the BMW Car Club was this pair of rare coupés from the ’70s and the ’90s: the gorgeous 3.0 CSL is now a Blue Chip classic, but its descendent 8 Series has yet to fully find its feet.

That said, we’ve no doubt that rarities such as this Alpina version are sure to become highly collectible.

Daimler SP250

Not the only Daimler Dart at the Scramble, but this was the only one in such a fetching colour and featuring a matching hardtop – we loved the factory wheeltrims rather than showy wires, too.

Hudson pick-up

Perhaps our favourite of the many commercial vehicles on display was this magnificent Hudson pick-up, which we just managed to snap as it burbled away from the event. The perfect ‘rat rod’, it sounded superb yet retained a wonderfully well-worn finish.

1959 Cadillac

Bicester Technical Site resident Mercedes-Benz Classic delighted the crowds by once again firing up Lewis Hamilton’s old Formula One car, but they were almost upstaged by this fabulous land yacht parked alongside, demonstrating the ultimate expression of the ’50s tail-fin wars.

Bedford CA Dormobile

If you want to stand out from the crowds of VWs at classic camper shows, what better than buying British with a Bedford CA Dormobile? Christened ‘Caity’, and presented with a child-sized miniature clone alongside, this superbly restored two-tone camper looked just the thing for a trip to the seaside. 

Berkeley B95

This Moto-Guzzi ’bike and Berkeley B95 are two very different machines, but both powered by motorcycle engines. The tiny two-seater Berkeley boasts Royal Enfield two-cylinder power, and you’d struggle to find a better example than the immaculate car on show at Bicester.

LaFrance tourer

Guy Lachlan, boss of Bicester-based Fuzz Townshend’s Classic Oils, is an enthusiast of pre-war behemoths – his mighty Fafnir was a star of The C&SC Show earlier this year – so it was no surprise to find a veteran titan on display outside his premises, this time a huge four-seater LaFrance tourer.

Lamborghini 400GT 2+2

The rare and fabulous Lamborghini 400GT 2+2 was one of the more exotic offerings on show at the Scramble, and a real crowd-puller as it swept into the Technical Site.

MG SA

The Heritage Skills Academy was thronged with visitors throughout the event, with plenty of youngsters keen to get involved with its vehicle restoration apprenticeships. This lovely SA saloon has been among the Academy’s recent projects, and is almost ready for the road.

Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire

A perennial feature of the Scramble, the Wriggly Monkey Brewery’s ‘Racing Bar’ is an Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire with Goodwood competition history that has been converted to carry 420 pints of beer!

Porsche 959S

Any Porsche 959 is hardly ordinary, but marque specialist Sports Purpose had a particularly desirable example on show at the Scramble: a rare 959S – for ‘Sport’ – featuring a period power upgrade to in excess of 500bhp. 

Fiat 124 Sport Coupé

An unsung hero of Fiat’s sporting range, often overlooked in favour of its Spider sibling or Alfa Romeo’s GTVs, the 124 Sport Coupé is now a real rarity, with many having long rotted away.

This superb ‘BC’ example looked wonderful tucked away around the back of the Technical Site – note the historic buildings that are ripe for restoration to house more classic specialists soon.

Haflinger

Land-Rover Series One too common for you? Then how about this Haflinger as the ultimate go-anywhere vehicle? This tiny utilitarian military vehicle was certainly the only one of its kind on show at Bicester.

Ford Ranchero

Demonstrating two of the themes of the weekend – American classics and pick-ups – this Ford Ranchero is not a common sight on UK shores, but is an icon in its homeland. This example is powered by a 351cu in V8 – torquey enough for decent progress even when that huge load bay is full.

Blue Oval brothers

Performance legends from two eras of Ford were united by this pairing of Escort Mk1 Mexico and Sierra RS Cosworth. 

Hustler

Bicester Heritage is gaining a bit of a reputation for its relationship with the William Towns-designed Hustler – there was a six-wheeled version for sale at Brightwells’ auction during The C&SC Show in June, and this four-wheeled, Mini-based example pitched up at the Scramble, much to the delight of visitors.

Peugeot 505 STI

Proof – as if it were needed – that Bicester Heritage is run by true enthusiasts comes in the form of this mint Peugeot 505 STI.

The 8000-mile automatic is the daily driver of managing director Dan Geoghegan, who bought the car because it’s just like the one his father used to own. Bravo!