A trio of Bugattis in the sunshine at Bicester Heritage’s Scramble event
It was only in March 2013 that the Bicester Airfield was acquired by Bicester Heritage Limited with plans to create the first business park dedicated to historic motoring and aviation. It was a risk but with the success of the high end retail village around the corner as a reminder of what could be achieved, the commitment was made and we now have one of the great success stories of the British motor industry. Housed in the many ex RAF historic buildings, the site is home to over 40 ‘best of breed historic motoring facilities’. The tree lined avenues, the peeling paint on the hangar doors and names such as The Blast House all create an evocative environment for the ‘Scrambles’. These laid back Sunday morning events, where the companies open their doors to the public to show off their restoration and engineering skills or just the beautiful machines in their showrooms have become immensely popular. Now it’s a ticket only event and stretched over the Saturday as well as the Sunday. We attended on the Sunday and judging by numbers it must have been a sold out event.
It takes over two hours to get to Bicester from our base in West Norfolk, so the contemplation of taking a classic vehicle to show off in the pre 1966 car park was short lived.
We arrived in bright sunshine but seeing the acres of parked cars I was worried my 81 year old father would struggle with the walk to the entrance. No problem, my request for a parking spot close to the gate was met with a smile and accommodated without a second thought.
J40 pedal cars. Now made famous by the children’s Settrington Cup held at Goodwood’s Revival event.
The ‘Works’ transporter for the J40 pedal cars
The buildings on the site dating from the 1920s and ‘30s have been restored and amongst these, parked on the grassy verges, are Alvises and Allards, Bugattis, Rileys and MGs. Some for sale, others in a mid restored state, some merely the cars that visitors had driven that morning to the event. Relaxed, informal and with no schedule or timetabled events, it’s a place to chat, drink coffee, meet up with friends or make new ones. I’ve come to realise that many enthusiasts seem to be dog lovers as the number of interesting hounds accompanying their owners nearly eclipsed the motors on show. The event is all the better for it, allowing for a whole family day out, no one is left at home to dog sit.
The Hotchkiss AM80 is always an eye catcher. It’s an evocation of the original works racer that was broken up in 1938.
The offset nature of the Hotchkiss is clearly visible from this angle
There is a passenger’s seat in the cockpit but you would have to be on the small side if you were going to use it
Although a hub for both classic and vintage machinery there were supercars and moderns a plenty. A contemporary mini with a V8 squeezed under the bonnet caught our attention as well as a dragster, incredibly long and thin with what seemed like bicycle wheels on the front.

Refreshed by great coffee and bagels we spent an enjoyable and informative chat with Darryl Scriven the designer behind Caton’s restomod Healey. A car that no doubt will have some enthusiasts exploding in anguished cries of heresy but in my mind it is a celebration of one of our great sports car icons. It is based on an original 1953 Healey 100 chassis which has been beefed up. The engine has new internals so knocks out a whopping 180bhp. With the extra power it comes as no surprise that the original gearbox has been swapped for a new 5 speed device. The original box being quirky to say the least with its 3 speeds and overdrive and being mounted on the far side of the transmission tunnel. Discs all round will reassure those drivers who expect their classics to behave like their modern day equivalent. The hand rolled aluminium seamless body is a thing of beauty, the front grille subtly redesigned and the headlights changed for LED versions.
Caton’s reimagining of the Austin Healey 100.
The same but different. Trying out the first of the 25 Caton 100s.
For me though it was talking to Darryl that made me truly appreciate what he and his team had created. Every curve of the body had been thought about, every mechanical aspect analysed, questioned and often improved. Caton will only make 25 of their reimagined Healeys at their Coventry headquarters, located just 10 miles from the workshop in which the first Healey 100 was created in 1952 – a lovely coincidence. What influence, if any, will the appearance of Caton’s Healey 100 have on the market for original Austin Healey 100s? I’m not sure to be honest but surely it can’t be negative. Potentially it will create new interest and with that curiosity surely demand for the real thing will be follow? I guess we will wait and see. Let’s hope those lucky 25 owners will use them as intended and not mothball them away as merely a financial investment.
Although the ‘Scramble’ is a laid back, low key affair, Red Triangle, the Alvis restoration company also chose it as the event to show off an example of their 4.3 continuation car. Built at their Kenilworth works each car takes 4-5000 hours to build. They are fully road legal but due to emission rules it runs fuel injection and wears disc brakes. It’s cheaper than the Caton Healey but certainly not cheap, set aside £300K if you want to taste prewar luxury motoring with modern day reliability.
In the foreground is an original 4.3 Alvis and behind is one of Red Triangle’s continuation cars.
By 3:30pm the crowds were thinning out. A trio of Bugattis growled their way to the gates, carbs spitting at low revs. To see those three stretching their legs across the Cotswold hills in the sunshine would surely put a smile on anyone’s face. A 2300cc Alfa 8C waved goodbye followed by the V8 rumble of a Shelby Daytona Coupe. Maybe it would have been worth taking a classic but, with the nearly 3 hour drive home the loyal Discovery was welcome comfort. Back by 6:30 a great day was had. The ‘Scramble’ is a true celebration of our motoring heritage in all its forms in an evocative environment. If you get the chance it’s certainly worth a visit for all ages and don’t forget to bring the dog along as well, it’ll certainly make as many new friends as you will.
Bicester Heritage Scramble, April 24th 2022
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