• Bicester Heritage offers the Classic Car industry and enthusiasts a welcome late summer celebration to celebrate Classic moving vehicles
• Official representation from two of the UK’s finest motoring brands
• Excitement accelerates in the build up to innovative outdoor festival
• Automotive icons on show, on sale, on track and on the silver screen
• Ticket sales swell as more exhibitors and car clubs confirm attendance

Bicester Heritage confirms that two of the greatest names in motoring history - Aston Martin and Jaguar - have confirmed their official presence at this month’s exciting new ‘The Classic Car Drive In Weekend’ taking place from 18-20 September.

Appropriately both evocative British marques will be represented by their magical heritage departments: Aston Martin Works and Jaguar Classic

Based at the illustrious company’s spiritual home in Newport Pagnell, Aston Martin Works is a world-renowned heritage service facility restoring cars from every era of Aston Martin’s remarkable 107 year history. A number of its latest restoration projects will be on show for visitors to savour – and, perhaps, buy – at The Classic Car Drive In Weekend, within the grounds at Bicester Heritage, the home of Historic Motoring.

Jaguar Classic offers a similar bespoke service for ‘Coventry Cats’ and, like Aston Martin Works, also meticulously hand-builds some very special ‘continuation’ models… and one of these reinvented legends will be joining the sensational collection of 65 past motor sport icons as they rev-up five times a day on the Bicester Heritage test track, during the spectacular, Covid-compliant show.

Back in the fifties, Jaguar planned to build 100 of its thrice Le Mans 24 Hours winning D-types, but only 75 were completed. Now Jaguar Classic has lovingly recreated the final 25 period-correct sportscars and the first of these will be performing at The Classic Car Drive In Weekend.

“It’s a great addition to what’s already a fabulous feast of great race and rally cars,” enthused show director Bas Bungish. “Moreover, with this year’s postponed Le Mans taking place behind closed doors in France over the very same weekend, the D-type will take on even more significance.”

Allowing for social distancing, The Classic Car Drive In Weekend also features all the razzamatazz of a US-style drive-in cinema experience with screenings of some of the best car-centric movies ever produced. These include classic heist capers such as The Italian Job and Gone In 60 Seconds as well as more recent blockbusters Senna, Baby Driver and, fittingly, Le Mans ’66.

Running in parallel to the film screenings, a more traditional classic motor show will feature 500+ star cars, dealer displays, traders, a host of passionate and knowledgeable car clubs plus Bonham MPH’s very first live, drive-through auction of the post lock-down era. All these elements are possible as the 444-acre Bicester Heritage airfield site offers plenty of Covid-compliant elbow room.

“Understandably there was some hesitancy when we first announced our ambitious plans but, as soon as people realised what was possible, interest immediately started to spiral on all fronts. Now, with less than two weeks until Bicester Heritage opens its gates it’s all go, go, go. Tickets sales have taken off, distinguished companies such as Aston Martin Works and Jaguar Classic have jumped at the welcome opportunity and more and more dealers and car clubs are making last-minute plans to attend what’s likely to be the biggest outdoor classic car celebration of the year.”

Renowned for selling eye-catching Rolls Royce and Bentley models, Vintage and Prestige Cars is among the growing number of classic car specialists now coming to Bicester. Recent additions to the already impressive ranks of car clubs attending include the Bugatti Owners Club and the Vintage Sports-Car Club (VSCC). They join a rich roster of clubs representing much-loved brands such as BMW, Bristol, Corvette, Fiat, Jensen, Mustang, Nissan Figaro, Range Rover, Renault Alpine and Sunbeam Tiger.

Adult admission tickets are priced from just £10 for the drive in cinema alone and £18 for the accompanying classic car show. Full experience show tickets offer even greater value. Priced at just £25 for adults and £15 children (aged 5-15), these automatically give visitors access to the entire showground including one of the great drive in car-themed movies of their choice. Any remaining tickets will be available on the day but at a £5 premium so booking in advance is highly recommended.

For more information on The Classic Car Drive In Weekend at Bicester Heritage and to purchase tickets visit: www.theclassiccarshowuk.com. The website also provides a full film schedule plus comprehensive information on all the Covid-compliant procedures being put in place to provide all-comers with a secure environment.

ENDS

About Bicester Heritage: The former RAF Bicester has a vision to become the world’s leading automotive destination for motoring past, present and future. 

For historic motoring, Bicester Heritage is now the industry focus for the future alongside creating a revolution in historic vehicle ownership. The unique location is the UK’s only Centre for Historic Motoring Excellence and is the national centre for a £5.5bn per annum industry that employs over 34,000 skilled people. Founded in 2013 Bicester Heritage has gone from a standing start to a home for 40 specialist businesses, and growing, with a collective turnover of over £40m, making it the largest player in the industry and set to grow exponentially with a global reach.

The unique ecosystem of businesses based at a beautiful 444-acre former WW2 RAF Bomber Training Station acts as ‘marina-like’ cluster, promoting skills and expertise, employment, qualified customer footfall, shared business incubation and aggregate growth. An active airfield and test track complete its dynamic operation. Collectively, Bicester Heritage is all about driving the future of the past.

The location of Bicester Heritage of course, is key. Bicester has unrivalled connections via road, rail and air, situated in close proximity to the globally known City of Oxford and within 90 minutes of half of the UK’s population.

For more information about the site and the team behind it, see www.bicesterheritage.co.uk.

About The Classic Car Drive In Weekend: Conceived by Brand Events and staged outdoors in the grounds of Bicester Heritage in Oxfordshire, The Classic Car Drive In Weekend is a new style of socially distanced, COVID-compliant classic car show for buyers, collectors and petrol-heads as well as movie-goers.

A US-style drive in cinema will create the very first drive in dedicated to screening many of the greatest-ever car-themed movies – these range from cult classics such as The Italian Job and Days of Thunder to films celebrating ultimate racing legends in Senna, Le Mans ’66 and Rush. Other blockbusters include Baby Driver, Gone in 60 Seconds and, of course, Fast & Furious.

Ensuring that The Classic Car Drive In Weekend is truly a celebration of everything classic, the two drive in cinemas are complemented by a more traditional classic car show, albeit organised to meet the latest social distancing guidelines. More than 500 classic cars will be on display joined by 25 of the UK’s leading car clubs, top dealer showcases, related traders and retailers plus a live on-site Bonhams MPH auction. Bringing the festival to life, the Bicester test track also will be hosting classic car parades and more dramatic track demonstrations.

Full information and tickets are available via the www.theclassiccarshowuk.com website. The website also provides a full film schedule plus comprehensive information on all the COVID-compliant procedures being put in place to provide all-comers with a secure environment.

About Brand Events: Brands Events has been responsible for the creation of many of Britain’s most innovative events. It is the company behind the globally successful Top Gear Live show as well as the CarFest family festivals and London Classic Car Show.

About Bonhams MPH: MPH is the Modern, Popular and Historic motoring arm of Bonhams, the international auction house, renowned for its sales of rare and significant collectors motor cars at some of the world's most prestigious venues.

Based at Bicester Heritage, Bonhams MPH offers its expertise to the growing modern and affordable classics market with a simple online consignment process, which offers both sellers and buyers an efficient way to sell or purchase a car, via mph.bonhams.com

MPH offers sellers and buyers alike a modest fee structure with sellers paying five per cent (+VAT) and buyers 12.5 per cent (+VAT).