Our E Type at The Brits Awards 2011

A White Jaguar E Type convertible from Great Escape Classic Car Hire was star of the show at The Brit Awards 2011 when it appeared on stage with Paloma Faith and Cee Lo Green to close the show. The car was part of the British-themed Awards ceremony held at the O2 Arena in London on 15th February and attended by music industry gliterati.
Great Escape supplied a white 1972 Series 3 E Type convertible finished in white wth a black leather interior for the show. The Jaguar E Type, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2011, was the obvious choice to close the celebration of British music and culture.
The Jaguar E Type used on the stage is available for self drive hire by the day, weekend or week from Great Escape's site in Worcestershire, near the Cotswolds. The company also has an identical E Type for hire in Yorkshire from Harrogate.
"We are very pleased to be associated with such a high profile event," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "The E Type looked fabulous on stage, received a lot of positive comments from the artists and even a standing ovation from the backstage crew when we took it off stage."
Great Escape delivered the car to the O2 Arena in London on the 14th February at short notice. They provided a driver in full time attendance to assist with manouvring and cleaning the car.
"We do a lot of work for TV, film and production companies," adds Graham, "so we have the experience necessary to ensure everything runs smoothly even with very big events."
Great Escape Classic Car Hire is the largest classic car hire company in the UK, operating a fleet of 50 classic rental cars from 6 UK locations. For more details call 01527 893733 or visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/.

No business like snow business

As we huddle around the Jaguar E Type heater here at Great Escape towers craving warmth as the snow swirls outside, our thoughts turn to the best classic car for the snowy weather. We've been here before - last winter, without a 4x4 to depend on (the very dependable Larry the Jeep Laredo), we had to skid around in the Ford Capri. Fun at the time, and surprisingly effective as a snow plough.
The first question to ask, of course, is whether you should use a classic in the snow at all. In the face of salt and safety, the answer is probably no. Classics like to rust a lot and they are somewhat bereft of the nannying features like airbags, ESP, ABS and the like which keep modern drivers so well insulated from their actions. But if we just decided never to use them in the snow then it wouldn't make much of an article frankly so lets assume we're talking strictly hypothetically.
To work well in the snow, conventional wisdom has it that a car should be either 4 wheel drive or front wheel drive. This rules out most classic cars, which are resolutely rear wheel drive. And, to be fair, much more fun. The Great Escape Classic Car Hire Ford Capri may have been rear wheel drive but it was a lot of fun in the snow and coped extremely well. Which may be down to the second rule for snow driving success - narrow tyres and high profile rims. Our Capri runs on 175 r14 tyres, which might be laughable in today's world of 245 20 inch rims but it was us laughing as we sailed past the stranded BMWs and Mercedes. Narrow high profile tyres literally cut through the snow and ice rather than skate across it, as fat tyres do.
Snow-plugging cars also need to be light - or have four wheel drive. A light car needs less power to keep going and is inherently more nimble when the going gets tough. On a slippery hill a low power, light car will keep going when a powerful, heavy car gets stuck. Plus, it has the added advantage of being much easier to push out of trouble.
Classic cars also have the advantage over modern cars because they lack so-called driver aids like ESP (traction control), which prevents cars losing traction. ESP cuts power to a spinning wheel. This is great news on damp roads or sudden sharp bends, but unfortunately the car can't differentiate between these and a snowy, icy road. Consequently, when the going gets tough in the snow and the wheels need to spin to clear the ice and gain traction, the ESP system simply cuts power to the spinning wheels. So the car can't move.
The trick with maintaining momentum and traction in the snow is to select a high gear and manipulate the clutch and throttle. This tends to be easier in older cars which have mechanically operated clutch, gearbox and throttle, giving the driver greater feel and control compared to modern 'fly by wire' type systems.
So despite the onset of modern driver aids, perhaps classic cars are better in the snow than modern cars because they are simpler. But what classic would be best for snow driving? Pushing aside classic 4x4s because they're just cheating, at Great Escape Classic Car Hire we'd probably plump for a front wheel drive 1980s classic like a Golf GTI mk1 - light, fairly powerful, no driver aids and narrow high profile tyres. The problem is, we wouldn't want to take our mint 1982 example out in the snow!

Hire a classic Alfa Romeo Spider in Yorkshire

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has added a classic Alfa Romeo Spider convertible to its self drive sports car rental fleet based in Harrogate, Yorkshire. Easy and rewarding to drive, the silver Alfa Spider is the perfect weekend getaway car.
The new Alfa Romeo Spider for hire in Yorkshire is a stylish two seater convertible with good size boot, five speed gearbox and power steering. The car's appearance is based on the iconic Alfa Romeo Duetto of the 1960s, made famous by Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. It is available to hire by the day, week or weekend from Harrogate. Prices start at £165 for 24 hrs and include full 24 hours use for every day booked, unlimited mileage, insurance for 1 driver and full UK AA breakdown cover. Until Christmas 2010 you can receive 10% off these prices by booking online.
Great Escape Classic Car Hire operates a fleet of 50 classic cars for self drive rental in the UK from locations in Shropshire, Suffolk, Worcestershire, East Midlands, Yorkshire, Oxfordshire and Dorset. The new Alfa joins Great Escape's existing fleet of three Alfa Romeo Spiders for hire in Suffolk, Worcestershire and East Midlands.
To find out more about the new Alfa Romeo Spider for hire in Yorkshire click here or call 01527 893733
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Milestone for Alfa Romeo Spider

It's time to raise a glass to our long-serving Alfa Romeo Spider. This car has been on the Great Escape Classic Car Hire rental fleet since day one nearly four years ago - it was one of the first two cars we offered for hire, alongside our Jensen Interceptor. And now it's passed a landmark - 100,000 kms. Ok, so its only 62,000 miles but we think the little car deserves its moment of glory.

We bought the immaculate Alfa Romeo Spider in 2006 when it had just 51,000 kms on the clock. In the intervening years it has been one of our most popular hire cars with glowing feedback from customers. And it has been utterly reliable.

Belying Alfa Romeo's reputation for building fragile cars with electrics designed and assembled by people who apparently don't know their AC from their and DC, our Alfa Romeo Spider has been the most reliable car on our fleet. It probably helps that the car wasn't built by Alfa Romeo - it was assembled by Pininfarina, who executed the elegant Series 4 redesign of our car - and that it is relatively new compared to some of our cars. But 50,000 kms in less than 4 years at the hands of hundreds of enthusiastic drivers is testament to what a great car it is. The Alfa Romeo has never broken down on hire and has only needed a clutch, starter motor, brake pads and discs and an electric window motor.

We're so impressed by the Alfa Romeo that we've added a second Alfa Romeo Spider located at our base in Suffolk. Although we've added a couple of MGBs in the intervening years, we still have a soft spot for the British roadster's Italian rival. To find out more about the remarkable Alfa Romeo visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/ or call 01527 893733. Prices start at £165 for 24 hours.

MGB Buzzes into Worcestershire

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has added a sixth MG to its self drive rental fleet in the UK with the addition of a MGB roadster to its Cotswolds fleet. The 1971 chrome bumper teal blue convertible is the fourth MGB on the company's hire fleet and complements the company's MGBs in Dorset and Yorkshire. Great Escape also has a MGA in Dorset and MG TD in Suffolk.
The MGB is arguably Britain's most popular classic car with a huge owners club and strong following. A few minutes behind the wheel of the Great Escape car and it is easy to see why - simple to drive, powerful, stylish and engaging, the MGB is everything a weekend getaway car should be.
"We only began adding MGBs to our fleet hire fleet in late 2009 in response to customer demand," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "But I've been amazed at the popularity of these cars - customers love them and we like them too because they are rugged and reliable."
The Great Escape Classic Car Hire MGB roadster for hire in Worcestershire is available backed by the company's normal comprehensive hire package. Prices start at £165 for 24 hours and include a full 24 hours use, unlimited mileage, insurance for 1 driver and full AA breakdown cover.
Great Escape operates from five locations in the UK - Cotswolds, Shropshire, Yorkshire, Suffolk and Dorset. For more details on the MGB click here or call 01527 893733. or visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/.

Great Escape stars at Jaguar Drivers Club event

Great Escape Classic Car Hire's beautiful Old English White Jaguar E Type convertible was one of the star attractions at the recent Jaguar Drivers Club national event held at Althorp House in Northamptonshire. The car was provided by Great Escape for the Footman James stand as part of a competition giveaway by the insurer involving a weekend prize package developed by Great Escape.
Footman James ran the competition exclusively for Jaguar Drivers Club members to win a weekend away, with accommodation, in one of Great Escape's fleet of classic cars based in the Cotswolds. The competition winner received their prize at the show and the E Type was paraded around the show ground.
"We have developed a unique range of weekend getaway packages through our Getaway Driver brand," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "We were able to provide Footman James with a complete weekend package prize involving our cars and our local accommodation providers.
"We are very pleased to be associated with Footman James and the Jaguar Drivers Club."
For more details on the Jaguar E Type for hire from Great Escape, click here or call 01527 893733. For more details on The Getaway Driver click here.
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Alfa Romeo Spider now available to hire in Suffolk

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has added a second classic Alfa Romeo Spider to its hire fleet. The new car is based from Great Escape's site in Suffolk, near Stowmarket, and is the only classic Alfa Romeo for hire in East Anglia. The car complements the very popular Alfa Romeo Spider for hire from Great Escape in Worcestershire.

The new Alfa Romeo Spider for hire in Suffolk is a 1989 Series 3 car finished in the rare colour of metallic Medio Blue with a black interior. It has a manual gearbox and is fitted with the classic 1600cc twin carburettor, twin cam Alfa Romeo engine that featured in the original Alfa Romeo Duetto launched in 1966.


The new car can be hired from Great Escape Classic Car Hire in Suffolk on a daily, weekly or weekend basis. Every hire day includes a full 24 hours use, unlimited mileage, insurance for 1 driver and full UK AA breakdown cover. Prices start at £165 for 24 hours. Gift vouchers are also available.


The Alfa Romeo Spider was an expensive two seater convertible when it was launched in 1966 and competed with the Jaguar E Type convertible. Today the Alfa Romeo Spider is more comparable with the MGB convertible but is generally considered to be a more sophisticated and better handling alternative to the popular British car.


To find out more about hiring the Alfa Romeo Spider in Suffolk click here or call 01527 893733.

Great Escape Trumph Stag is in Vogue

Great Escape Classic Car Hire regularly provides classic cars for hire to TV, film, media and production companies. In the first two weeks of July 2010 our 1974 Triumph Stag for hire in the Cotswolds has been used for a photoshoot for Italian Vogue magazine and a new advertising campaign for clothing brand Lyle & Scott.
The Triumph Stag is low and stylish and a quintessential 1970s British convertible, so it fits perfectly with the reinvigorated fashion for this era. The Great Escape car is finished in Old English White with a black interior and a walnut dashboard with manual gearbox.
Great Escape provided the car to location at short notice with a dedicated driver. Our cars are fully valeted before despatch and then provided with cleaning materials so that we can clean off any travel dirt before the car is photographed or filmed.
Great Escape Classic Car Hire has the largest fleet of classic cars for hire in the UK and provides cars for film and advertising work on a weekly basis. Several of our cars have appeared in national advertising campaigns and prime time TV programmes and in successful music videos.
To find out more about our work for film and advertising companies call 01527 893733 or click here.

Hire a MGB in Yorkshire

Great Escape Classic Car Hire, which has the largest choice of classic cars for hire in the UK, has added a 1964 MGB convertible to its self drive rental fleet in Yorkshire.
The red MGB two seater sports convertible is the latest addition to Great Escape Classic Car Hire's new Yorkshire fleet, which is based in Harrogate. The car is an early 1964 MGB with manual overdrive gearbox, classic 'crackle' dashboard and a tan interior. It is ideal for weekdays or weekends away on a self drive basis or for weddings.
The MGB convertible for hire in Yorkshire is backed by Great Escape's comprehensive hire package. This means that the price you see is the full price you pay - every hire day includes a full 24 hours use, unlimited mileage, insurance for 1 driver and breakdown cover.
Great Escape Classic Car Hire has the largest choice of MGs for self drive rental in the UK from its four sites in Worcestershire, Yorkshire, Suffolk and Dorset. The range of MGs for hire includes MGB, MGB GT, MGA and MG TD.
"The MGB is one of the most popular classic cars for hire in the UK," says Graham Eason of Great Escape Classic Car Hire. "Yorkshire is a great location for exploring some of Britain's best scenery and what better car to drive there than one of Britain's greatest ever sports cars?"
For more details on hiring the MGB convertible click here.