THE WORLD’S FIRST EVER PETROLICIOUS DRIVERS’ MEETING TAKES PLACE AT BICESTER HERITAGE TO GREAT SUCCESS

THE WORLD’S FIRST EVER PETROLICIOUS DRIVERS’ MEETING TAKES PLACE AT BICESTER HERITAGE TO GREAT SUCCESS

Photography credit: White Wall Media / Petrolicious

Video Edit By Stumpy Media @ Classic Chatter

More than 4000 visitors attended the first ever Petrolicious Drivers’ Meeting from the renowned Petrolicious website at Bicester Heritage, Oxfordshire, on Sunday May 12.

The now-­ubiquitous Petrolicious #DriveTastefully motto was made real by the new event, which saw over curated 200 cars placed artfully around the restored former RAF buildings of the Bicester Heritage Technical Site and outside the huge events hangar.

Inside the hangar, the Petrolicious Drivers’ Meeting broke new ground for a Bicester Heritage car show by kitting out the 50,000 sq ft space with motoring artists’ area, trade stands and a cinema showcasing Petrolicious films. Next to the screen were the cars that starred in the films being shown – including a Ferrari Daytona, ‘The Rusty 911’ Porsche, a Golf GTI Mk2, NSU Ro80, Mercedes­-Benz 280SE, Lancia Delta Integrale and Bentley 4 ½ Litre.

Sponsors Jaguar Landrover SVO, Morgan and Aston Martin Works all had stands in the hangar showing new cars and old, while Bremont used the event to launch its new Jaguar D­typewatch, complete with not one but two D­types on display, as well as a Jaguar Project 7.

In the paddock area outside the hangar, it was impossible to miss the restored black and red­liveried Ford truck that served as Frank Williams’ first ever purpose-­built race transporter. Alongside were two historic F1 cars – the 1979 FW07 and 1987 FW11B – from Williams Heritage. The display marked the 50th anniversary of Frank Williams’s first Formula 1 race.

Elsewhere in the paddock were special displays from:

• The Slowly Sideways rally group, showcasing Group B and other rally cars of the 1980s­-onwards
• The Endurance Racing Legends group, with Le Mans and endurance race cars of the 1990s and 2000s, including Aston Martin DBR9, Jaguar XJR15 and TVR T400R
• The Singer Design and Lightweighting Study (DLS) 911 test mule, delivered by racer and Singer development driver Marino Franchitti
• A genuine Brumos team Porsche 911 RSR
• Multi­-million pound Ferrari display that included F40, Daytona, 330GT, 275 GTB and blogger Mr JWW’s F12 TDF
• XJ220 and Project 8 from sponsors Jaguar Land Rover SVO

On the tree-­lined avenues and amongst the evocative Grade 2 listed buildings of the Bicester Heritage site, some of the highlights included:

• Four ex­-Works Subaru rally cars, including ex­-Colin McRae and Kenneth Eriksson Imprezas
• Genuine Alan Mann Lotus Cortina Mk1 and Autodelta Alfa Romeo GTA, reunited 53 years after they last raced together
• Aston Martin DBR4 with Land Rover Series 2 tow vehicle
• Three hot rods, including a replica of the Two-­Lane Blacktop movie ’55 Chevy
• Zagato centenary display with Zagato versions of Lancias, Alfas, the latest Aston Martin Zagato from sponsor Aston Martin Works and a Porsche 356 Zagato owned by Coldplay’s Guy Berryman
• ‘Alfa Romeo Avenue’ with Alfas from the 1960s through to an 8C Competizione supercar
• Four homologation­-derived road cars: Ford RS200, Audi Quattro, Renault 5 Turbo 1 and Porsche 924 Carrera GT
• The rarely­seen 1966 Vauxhall XVR concept car from the Vauxhall Heritage Centre
• Cars from TV’s Wheeler Dealers presenters, Mike Brewer and Ant Anstead – Mike’s restored MGA, the Dowsetts Comet built by Ant’s company, and an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato recreation built by Ant and owned by
• Plus 4 Works 110 and new Aero GT from sponsors Morgan Motor Company
• Rare Aston Martins including one of only 15 2­Litre Sports ‘DB1’ models built and a stunning black One-­77

Visitors were also able to book in professional photoshoots on their cars with Petrolicious photographers, in the Footman James Photographic Studio in a quiet but evocative corner of the Technical Site. Every single studio slot was taken, with cars as diverse as Alfa Romeo 1750GTV, Cobra 289, BMW i8 and Fiat Dino photographed there.

Adding to the mix, many of the specialists based at Bicester Heritage opened their doors to the visitors. These included specialist car dealers Pendine, Robert Glover and Legends Automotive, pre­war Riley and MG specialists Blue Diamond Services, Bentley specialists Kingsbury Racing, Classic Oils and training course provider Heritage Skills Academy.

Even the car park was stunning, with visitors in classic and interesting modern cars directed to the ‘#DriveTastefully’ parking area, resulting in a fascinating show of its own, with everything from lowriders to a road­legal Group C Jaguar race car.

More Petrolicious Drivers’ Meetings will be announced in the near future. Photography credit: White Wall Media / Petrolicious

FOOTMAN JAMES TO SPONSOR PETROLICIOUS PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO AT DRIVERS' MEETING

FOOTMAN JAMES TO SPONSOR PETROLICIOUS PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO AT DRIVERS' MEETING

Visitors to the Petrolicious Drivers’ Meeting will have the chance to have their car professionally photographed at the Footman James Photography Studio by two leading Petrolicious snappers on Sunday 12th May.

Traditionally only reserved for the cars and stars of the Petrolicious website and social media pages, which currently have over one million fans combined, the team have decided to offer dedicated 30-minute, one-on-one photo shoots for pre-booked attendees of the inaugural Drivers’ Meeting against the backdrop of Bicester Heritage.

Pre-booking for the Footman James Photography Studio is essential to avoid disappointment and the remaining 30-minute slots with Petrolicious photographers, Will Broadhead and Scott Paterson, are available directly via Petrolicious’ website and Eventbrite. Owners will have a selection of digital images sent to them on the same day, with each shoot costing £60.00.

Petrolicious is a leading automotive lifestyle brand providing world-class short films and tasteful editorial around the world's finest classic vehicles. It has partnered with leading classic and collector insurance specialists Footman James to offer these once-in-a-lifetime photographic shoots.

Discussing the partnership and studio, Footman James Managing Director, David Bond said, “I can’t think of another media house or team that could bring such an amazing event to the UK, nor offer the opportunity to capture the moment of cars attending the Drivers’ Meeting at the unmistakable Bicester Heritage Technical Site. We can’t wait to see the final results and see them printed and displayed by their owners at home and on social media.”

This is the first European event for the Californian-based Petrolicious team. Expect hundreds of hand-picked cars to be showcased at the meeting, all in their own way representing the ethos of Petrolicious’ Drive Tastefully motto. Some of the vehicles include the recently restored Colin McRae Prodrive Subaru Impreza rally car, the first ever Williams Formula One race car transporter and race cars, plus a special line-up of Ferraris, Le Mans cars and a collection of 1989 classics that will be celebrating their 30th birthday, as well as the Singer Dynamics and Lightweight Study test mule.

Please note that all visitors will need an admission ticket alongside passes to the Footman James Photography Studio. A small number of on-the-day Photography Studio slots are available, although all interested parties are recommended to pre-book in the first instance.

Once a time has been confirmed it’s advised to arrive at the location with the vehicle at least ten minutes before the shoot’s due to start.

The Drivers’ Meeting event is open to anyone who wants to attend, and tickets for non-Petrolicious members are £12.50 plus booking charge if paid in advance, or £20 on the door, with children under 16 available to come free of charge.

For more information about the Petrolicious Drivers’ Meeting, please click here.

HISTORIC BENTLEYS TO GATHER AT GOODWOOD MEMBERS’ MEETING TO CELEBRATE CENTENARY

Bentley Le Mans 2003

HISTORIC BENTLEYS TO GATHER AT GOODWOOD MEMBERS’ MEETING TO CELEBRATE CENTENARY

Bentley will continue its centenary celebrations at the 77thGoodwood Members’ Meeting this weekend with a number of iconic cars on the starting grid set to bring the sights and sounds of the company’s illustrious motor racing past to life.

Headlining the sell-out weekend of motorsport is the Speed 8 – Bentley’s Le Mans car that won the most gruelling endurance race on the planet. The Speed 8 will run alongside other Le Mans prototypes for the first time since 2003, with two of the original Bentley drivers, Guy Smith and Tom Kristensen, set to make an emotional return to the driver’s seat.

Bentley’s 100 extraordinary years will also be remembered in the John Duff Trophy race. Duff was the original Bentley Boy, and the man that initiated the marque’s now synonamous relationship with Le Mans. He was the first driver to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Bentley, claiming the title in 1924. The new event is for pre-1930 vintage racing cars and promises to be a major spectacle, as Bentley enjoys its biggest ever presence at the popular Members’ Meeting.

Speed 8 – A Famous Victory

Bentley returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2001 for a three-year campaign following a lengthy absence, and intentions were signalled with a podium finish on an all-new Bentley prototype’s competitive debut. Just two years later, against the toughest of competition, the #7 Bentley Speed 8 led a 1-2 finish after dominating the race, sparking great celebrations amongst the thousands of British fans at the event and countless more around the world.

That hard-fought victory in 2003 rekindled the spirit of the original Bentley Boys and their Le Mans successes of the 1920s. It was Bentley’s sixth outright victory at the 24-hour race and came through great attention to detail and innovation, qualities still at the heart of the company today.

Among the six men who drove the winning Speed 8 were Tom Kristensen and Guy Smith, and the pair will be reunited with the car once again at the 77th Goodwood Members’ Meeting – Kristensen for the first time since that landmark 2003 race.

The drivers will take part in two 15-minute Le Mans Prototype demonstration runs, one on Saturday evening at dusk with Smith behind the wheel, the other on Sunday afternoon with Kristensen driving.

The Bentley Speed 8 will start on ‘pole’ as part of a 16-car field of Le Mans cars. Each will be flagged off one at a time for non-competitive fast laps in for what promises to be one of the most memorable moments at the event.

John Duff – An Original Bentley Boy

The John Duff Trophy is a new addition to the Members’ Meeting at Goodwood, inspired by one of the all-time great racing drivers and Bentley’s centenary year. Duff was a founder member of the Bentley Boys and Girls, a group of wealthy young men and women who loved to race W.O. Bentley’s fast and dependable cars.

Duff was the first to drive a Bentley at Le Mans and win, taking on the challenge with factory driver Frank Clement. After a fourth place in 1923, they returned a year later and won outright, ten minutes ahead of the competition.

The John Duff Trophy race is for pre-1930 vintage racing cars and has attracted an impressive collection of 30 historic cars from the era, with a third of the grid being Bentleys, including the 3-Litre ‘Number Nine’ built for Tommy Thistlethwayte in 1926, and a Speed Six driven by legendary Bentley Boy Woolf Barnato.

Bentley’s 100 Years Of Extraordinary

From Le Mans victories, through to the incredibly powerful road cars of the modern era, all of Bentley’s extraordinary vehicles have innovation hand-built into them.

July 10, 2019 marks Bentley’s 100th birthday - an extraordinary milestone achieved by only a handful of automotive companies. The Goodwood Members’ Meeting is just one of a year-long series of special activities that have been planned, with celebrations at events around the world to highlight Bentley’s motoring evolution over the last 100 years, its global success today and the exciting future ahead.

. MG LIVE! TAKES A REST FOR 201

MG LIVE! TAKES A REST FOR 2019

The MG Car Club is devastated to announce that the decision has been made to rest MGLive! for 2019, and refocus efforts into a new format International MG meeting for 2020.

Last month, Silverstone Circuits Limited made a decision to carry out essential track maintenance during June 2019, meaning that MGLive! wasn’t able to take place at the venue on the selected dates, leaving the Club without a venue or date for MGLive! 2019.

MGLive! is a meeting steeped in history with an event being held every summer for the past 68 years. Given this history, the Club has been exploring options to move the event to a new location, and/or date for 2019.

After extensive research into new locations and dates; it has sadly become clear that there are no feasible options to host an event this summer and the decision has been made to rest MGLive! for 2019 as a final resort.

All ticket holders for 2019 will be contacted directly by the Club and issued full refunds automatically before the 15th April 2019.

The Club are requesting that ticket holders do not contact the Club to discuss refunds, and wait to be contacted directly by the Club. This is to ensure the refunds process is carried out as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Adam Sloman, General Manager of MG Car Club commented “We are very sorry to be updating everyone with such disappointing news.

The Club has been incredibly determined to try and find an alternative solution for MGLive! this year and sadly, the deeper we have delved into all of the options - different venues, dates, hosting an entertainment only event - the less feasible putting on MGLive! in 2019 has looked.

It has been incredibly challenging to find a venue that has capacity to hold a race and/or entertainment event in the peak of the season, with the capability to put on a large scale event in such a challengingly tight timeframe. We’ve spoken to a number of venues; and it has become very clear that moving the entire event at short notice just isn’t possible.

It is such a shame, with so many members and classic car enthusiasts purchasing tickets in advance in record numbers. We are deeply sorry to all of those ticket holders who had supported the Club and event, and they will all be refunded very soon.

It would be incredibly helpful if ticket holders were able to bear with us a little longer and allow us to get in touch with them directly regarding refunds rather than contacting the Club office to discuss. This would really help us with processing refunds in an orderly fashion.

We’d also like to thank the members of the Club for their overwhelming support and all their many suggestions of venues and introductions to venues up and down the country.

The support from venues, classic car events and the classic car community has been truly awe-inspiring and all we can say is we are incredibly grateful and thanks to everyone involved for all their support and help.”

The Club are planning to regroup and refocus efforts for 2020 into a new format International MG meeting, keeping the best elements of MGLive! but bringing in some fresh, new ideas to widen the event’s appeal.