UK’s new go-to hub for car fans
The former RAF Bicester is becoming a motoring destination
FORMER air force bases have a long history when it comes to UK motorsport and the motor industry. It didn’t take long after the cessation of hostilities in World War Two for RAF Silverstone to be transformed into a motor racing circuit, while, more recently, part of RAF St Athan in Wales has become the home to Aston Martin’s new factory, where the new DBX SUV is being built.
Like so many similar sites, RAF Bicester, once the home of two squadrons flying Bristol Blenheim bombers, had fallen into disrepair since the RAF departed in 1976. Now though, it’s being revitalised under the banner of Bicester Motion, and Auto Express was invited along to take a look at the grand plans for the site.
Daniel Geoghegan is Chief Executive of Bicester Motion, and the man behind the vision to turn the site into what he describes as “a community and resort about motion”.
“The site was designed in the mid-1920s and used to be the perfect bomber station,” he tells us. “But it was last used in 1976, after which it was boarded up and the lights turned out.”
There has been some activity on the site since then, but it was only when the Ministry of Defence sold the site to what was then called Bicester Heritage, and Geoghegan was presented with a “bucket of keys”, that life started to be breathed back into the listed buildings and huge hangars.
Now Bicester Heritage has become Bicester Motion, and the site has, in just a few years, become famous for its Sunday Scrambles. Thousands of car fans travel from far and wide to show, view and chat about cars at these ‘Cars and Coffee’-style events.
Geoghegan himself is an avid vintage car enthusiast, and wants Bicester Motion to play a part in the changing world of vintage cars. “The historic car world is moving more towards a lifestyle world,” he says. “It used to be difficult to buy and look after a classic car, and it would have been difficult for a newcomer to get involved.
“Now, it’s about bringing the family along – we’re creating a destination for automotive past, present and future.”
Being 90 minutes from 50 per cent of the UK population is key to his plans. There’s a 344-room hotel, spa and conference centre in the pipeline, along with space for businesses, tracks and even a 100-acre nature reserve with three lakes – the whole site totals 440 acres.
Restored
The buildings have been beautifully restored to a high standard, but with mod cons such as WiFi throughout, and we chat to Geoghegan in the plush country clublike surroundings of the main clubhouse.
We’re then shown around the huge hangars that dominate the listed buildings on the site, while a large structure being erected nearby will mirror the look and shape of the buildings around it. It’ll eventually become the home to Motorsport UK, the UK’s governing body, and one of many businesses moving to Bicester.
“We’re trying to create a community among the businesses here that will create efficiency,” says Geoghegan. “We already have more than 40 tenants here, all automotive specialists, including Bonhams and the Mercedes-Petronas Formula One team – we even have our own brewery.”
There’s an apprenticeship scheme under way, while Geoghegan is trying to attract car makers and others to hold events on-site, or to set up brand centres.
There’s plenty of work still to be done – and money to be spent – to bring the track up to a decent standard, for example. On the far side of the site, it’s easier to drive off-road than on what remains of the concrete perimeter road. But the vision is there, and it’s helped by the businesses that are already on site.
One of these is Ewen Getley’s Kingsbury Racing Shop, which specialises in engine parts for vintage Bentleys.
“I used to work in a shed in a field,” he tells us. “I used to make one car, then sell one. Now I employ seven people, and there’s so much synergy with other businesses on the site and the people who come here – it’s transformed my business.”
Getley has been able to invest in technology, too: “We can apply modern technology with our machine shop and it’s cost-effective. My most expensive machine costs less than my cheapest employee, but it’s given us more throughput to keep up with demand.”
And, according to Getley, there’s plenty of demand for his specialist skills. “Owners are changing,” he says. “They used to pride themselves on finding a guy in a shed. Now there’s less mechanical knowledge, but people are demanding top service.”
Current residents such as Kingsbury Racing Shop (left) will benefit from new developments, while Bicester Motion’s Sunday Scramble meets (right) can only expect to expand