Quality beats quantity at Bicester Scramble

Visitors salute sold-out Drive It Day show

Bicester Heritage took its inspiration from Brooklands’ famous ‘Right crowd and no crowding’ mantra for the second Sunday Scramble of 2019 yesterday. 

By capping advance ticket sales and no longer offering entry at the gate on the day, organisers managed to banish the entry queues that had plagued earlier Scrambles, yet retained a busy – but never overcrowded – feel inside the historic former RAF bomber base.

While the ticketing might have changed from previous Scrambles, the standard of cars on show was as high as ever: this is a gathering where variety is king, and rarities become almost the norm.

And as if to prove that, we saw not one but three Renault 5 Turbos scattered around the site, and everything from ’80s custom Mercedes to vintage Bentley specials; a fittingly eclectic collection for Drive It Day.

We’ve gathered together our highlights in this gallery, so you can either relive the fun or see what you missed out on.

Porsche rarities with Purpose

As ever, the resident businesses of Bicester Heritage opened their doors for the Scramble – and that meant lots of Porsches, from both Porsche Classic Life and Sports Purpose.

The latter put on an impressive showing outside Building 130 – The Special Repair Shop – including super-desirable 964 and 993 Carrera RSs (above).

Mighty 8 Litre Bentley

Bentley guru Kingsbury Racing Shop was thronged with visitors, all keen to take a closer look at the vintage racers being fettled by its team of specialists.

Casually parked outside was this magnificent 3/8 Litre special – just the thing for a scratch race at BDC Silverstone.

Talbot-Matra Rancho

Members of the Matra Enthusiasts’ Club UK usually turn up in number for Bicester’s Scrambles, and the April event was no exception – we saw everything from a Djet to a Murena on show.

Attracting the most interest, however, was a rare example of the first true ‘soft roader’, the funky Simca-based Rancho.

A little bit of bling (actually, rather a big bit)

One of the most intriguing aspects of this event is the increasing number of rare ‘Youngtimers’ that turn up, and perhaps rarest of all was this 1984 Carat Cullinan, based on a fully-equipped Mercedes-Benz 500SEL.

1984 Carat Cullinan

Although it is lightly tweaked on the outside, it’s on the inside that the Cullinan feels particularly special, with leather wrapping every surface (apart from those that aren’t swathed in walnut or sheepskin).

You also get 1980s signature luxuries such as a huge gold-edged stereo with graphic equaliser, plus electrically operated rear picnic tables. Lovely!

Glover’s vintage treats

Robert Glover Ltd’s classy base in The Motor Bays perfectly showed off a pair of vintage Bentleys and a magnificent Delage.

The art of Craftsman

Parked up outside the Heritage Skills Academy was this incredible toolroom tribute to Harry Miller. Powered by a French flathead V8 and called ‘The Craftsman’, the superbly finished machine was handbuilt by Lamb Engineering in Salisbury.

Eastern Bloc chic

This wasn’t the only Trabant parked up in the shade of the trees in Bicester’s Technical Site – there was also a military convertible version – but we were particularly taken with the tiny beige station wagon.

Marathon-running MGB

This fascinating MGB was one of the stars of last year’s NEC Classic Motor Show. Having finished 42nd (and first sports car) on the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon, the MG later fell into disrepair and was very nearly scrapped.

Fortunately, the rally finisher’s badge on the dashboard was spotted at the breaker’s yard and the car was saved, purchased by the MGB Register of the MG Car Club and restored in time for the 50th anniversary of the rally.

A BMW-Lancia hybrid?

This E30 BMW 325i Touring caused raised eyebrows, because it sits on a set of Lancia Delta Integrale alloys – albeit from an earlier model than the super ’Grale parked in front of it.

We couldn’t find the owner to discover whether the nod to the Lancia rally legend is any more than skin deep, but the wheels certainly suited it.

British sporting greats

The Scramble isn’t only about the weird and wonderful, of course – there are also plenty of more mainstream classics such as this British trio of Triumph TR3A, Sunbeam Alpine and ‘Algie’ the Austin Seven sports.

To protect and serve

Americana of all eras is increasingly a part of the Sunday Scramble, and this Louisiana State Police Pontiac Firebird – complete with ‘Ram Air’ hood – certainly stood out from the crowd parked in front of Bicester’s historic C-type Hangar.

AC 3000ME

On-site specialist Pendine is rapidly gaining a name for selling some fine AC Aces, but a more unusual sight from the Thames Ditton firm could also be found in the shape of this very smart AC 3000ME, with mid-mounted Ford ‘Essex’ V6 power.

Auntie's new clothes

This unusual little tourer is a Kitcher Special, based on pre-war Rover mechanicals and featured in the July 2013 edition of Classic & Sports Car.

It’s one of 14 built by Rowland ‘Rowley’ Kitcher in the late ’50s and early ’60s, and an amazing 10 of them survive.

De Tomaso Panteras

There was a good smattering of supercars across the site, but the greatest concentration – Porsches aside – came from the De Tomaso Owners’ Club and its healthy selection of Panteras.

Honey, I shrunk the De Tomaso

There was another – very different – De Tomaso hiding among the more commonplace Minis and Mokes from the various Mini clubs. This rare Leyland Innocenti De Tomaso is Mini-based, and started life in 1981 as a ‘Black & White’ limited edition first sold in Spain. 

Bought in Belgium in 2008 by its present owner, it’s now in regular use around Oxfordshire.

Land of the rising fun

Japanese classics are increasingly gaining recognition on the UK scene, but the focus tends to be on the usual suspects such as Skylines and Z-cars.

This superbly modified Honda Prelude, however, really stood out with its satin-black paint, pronounced wheelarches and JDM-style wing mirrors.

Unlikely bedfellows

One of the joys of a Sunday Scramble is never quite knowing what you might see next – as perfectly demonstrated here by a US-spec Lamborghini Urraco (one of two on show) parked up alongside a Riley RM and Ford Mustang… and with a Morgan 3-Wheeler behind!

Fiat 850 Sport

This rear-engined Fiat 850 Sport was a delight, perfectly set off by its pastel paintwork and wire wheels. We weren’t able to verify whether the owner had added the optional bag of cement in the front boot to improve the handling…

Daytona’s practical sibling

If you’re anything like us, you simply love seeing a Ferrari in any colour that isn’t red – and an early ’70s Maranello icon in brown is particularly special. This four-seater Ferrari 365GTC/4 was simply sublime.

A moving story

Formerly used by removals firm Pickfords, this majestic Scammell tractor unit – nicknamed ‘Sir William’ – even smelled fantastic.

It’s probably not the most frugal of vehicles, but you get the impression it would have no trouble pulling up trees with all the torque from its huge diesel motor.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing

Originally starting life as a two-door Ford Cortina Mk2 GT, this discreetly muscular little saloon now features 3-litre V6 power with Weslake heads – a conversion undertaken by Jeff Uren to create the Savage, and Crayford for its V6 which was marketed as ‘The Lotus eater’.

Garden-party atmosphere

The Sunday Scramble remains a delightfully relaxed event, the joy of which is to be found simply by strolling through the trees and buildings of the Technical Site, stumbling across everything from a BMW E30 M3 to a Sprint-engined TR7, a Golf convertible to an Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT.

Fit for a president?

We adored this official-looking Citroën CX Prestige, complete with vinyl roof and wonderfully ’70s cloth interior.

Red Triangle reborn

On display outside Harry Fraser Vehicle Upholstery, this Alvis tourer looked superb following extensive renovation.

Ford Falcon Sprint

Picking just one car to drive home in from the Oxfordshire event would be tricky, but this fantastic 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint would likely make the shortlist. 

Diamond geezers

Blue Diamond Riley Services is another of Bicester’s resident specialists that always puts on a good show, and there was a fantastic turnout of Rileys and other pre-war machinery on 28 April, including a pair of charming Kestrel saloons.

A classy big cat

There’s something almost transatlantic about the styling of this gorgeous Jaguar MkV saloon, which our correspondents later saw cruising serenely home along the M40. And we loved the highly patinated GMC truck alongside, too.

Time machine to the dawn of the ’80s

When did you last see a Vauxhall Viceroy, let alone one in such superb condition as this? Slotting in between the Carlton and Senator, the Viceroy featured 2.5-litre six-cylinder power and a quite fabulous velour interior!

Caravanning in style

Both fully restored, this Wessex Craftsman caravan and its 1952 Hillman Minx MkV tow car made a fantastic combination.

And motorcaravanning in style!

An even more show-stopping way to go camping must be this incredible Mk1 Ford Transit, complete with slot-mag alloy wheels, BF Goodrich tyres and amazing Jimi Hendrix livery.

Classics for sale

Plenty of visitors use the Scramble as a way of advertising their classics for sale, and the owner of this 1955 Studebaker Commander Starline Coupe – which features 5.9-litre Mopar V8 power – was hoping to land £8000 for the rare two-door, two-tone machine.

Not quite what it seems - part 1

Immaculately restored and slammed-to-the-floor Mk1 and Mk2 Volkswagen Golfs – or Rabbits in the case of this imported version – seemed to be everywhere you looked, but this one was hiding a rather special secret…

Not quite what it seems - part 2

…and that was to be found under the bonnet, where the original wheezing four-pot had been replaced by this beautifully detailed – and rather more powerful – 3.2-litre V6 from a Golf R32!