Classic car hire gets closer to London

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has opened a new Northants Fleet that makes hiring a car near London simpler and easier. The new site, based near Milton Keynes, cuts the journey time from London by half compared to our Midlands site near Stratford Upon Avon.
The Northants Fleet opens with an eclectic range of classic cars including Citroen 2CV, Porsche 911, Mercedes SLK convertible and classic Mini Cooper in British Racing Green. We also have an immaculate Aston Martin V8 coupe available for chauffeur hire weddings.
Like every Great Escape car, the new Northants classic car hire fleet is backed by our comprehensive and transparent hire package, which gives 24 hours for every day you book, unlimited mileage (except Mini), comprehensive insurance and full AA breakdown cover.
"Our Northants Fleet is very easy to get to and a great jumping off point for excellent countryside and driving roads," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "We provide driving routes and recommendations for hotels, places to stay and places to visit."
The new Northants classic car hire fleet is available on a self drive basis for weekends and weekdays or self drive weddings or can be provided with a chauffeur for weddings. The Citroen 2CV is a full four seater and the Mini is the ultimate classic version with full leather and wood interior. The Porsche is the sought-after 993 air cooled version with space for 2 adults and 2 children. The Mercedes is perfect for relaxing weekends away.
Prices for the Northants classic car hire Fleet start at just £145 per day. For more details call 01527 893733 or visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/. Book a date or voucher before Christmas and save 10% on your total hire cost.

New classic car photos online

We've added new professional images of our Yorkshire classic car hire fleet to the Great Escape Classic Car Hire website at http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/. The new shots of the 1967 Porsche 911T, Jaguar E Type V12 Convertible, Mercedes 300SL, Jaguar Mk2 and Jensen Interceptor were taken in and around Harrogate near our Yorkshire site.

The majority of our customers base their decision on the information that we provide online. So it is important that we provide high quality images and descriptions so that they can make informed decisions. We invest several thousand pounds a year in photography any all of the cars featured on the Great Escape Classic Car Hire website are the actual cars that customers can drive - we don't use library images.

For more information on Great Escape visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/ or call 01527 893733.

Where are the whale tales?

The 1980s. Big hair, big shoulders and big car spoilers. Nothing said 'sporting pretensions' quite like a large, fat rubber spoiler stuck on the back of your humble hot hatch. At Great Escape Classic Car Hire we've just added a Saab 900 Turbo with a full fat whale tale spoiler on the back. As we sit and stare in wonder at this iconic 80s throwback, we can't help wondering where all the fun and spoilers disappeared to?

Modern cars concentrate on low profile tyres, lowered suspension and little eyebrow roof spoilers to say 'speed' but it's all just a little discreet for us here at Great Escape. There is something endearingly innocent about the family sports cars of the 1980s, whose sporting adenda generally had some sort of purpose.

The whale tale spoiler that ended up adorning the rear ends of so many cars started life on production Porsche 911s. Pioneered on touring cars to increase rear end downforce and stick the front engined cars to the ground, it was Porsche that popularised the idea. The name reflects the design of the 911s spoiler, a massive assemblage that fitted over the engine cover and was intended to reduce the 911's famous tendency to create 911-shaped holes in hedges.

The popularity of the 911 whale tale led to plenty of copies, of which the classic Saab 900 turbo was the most obvious. Any saloon car with sporting pretensions suddenly had a rubber spoilerm, including the Cavalier SRi, Alfasud Ti and of course the XR3i. The Ford XR4i took the idea further with a massive appendage, which was later refined and enlarged for the Cosworth versions of the XR3 and XR4. Even the Porsche 928 got in on the act with a much-enlarged spoiler for the S4 version, replacing the wimpy S2's lip spoiler. The competition to get bigger and bling-er was made in the name of aerodynamics, a concept that car designers and marketers 'discovered' in the 1980s, after years of making 3-box bricks.

The whale tale spoiler was initially provided in unpainted rubber finish because manufacturers couldn't crack the paint technology required to cover a flexible surface. Many tried, resulting in flaking bumpers and spoilers a few years down the line.

The whale tale had it's day when insurers decided everyone was having too much fun and they needed to charge us for the pleasure. Insurance premiums for anything with a spoiler and GTI logo suddenly rocketed, resulting in manufacturers drastically toning down the external sporting paraphernalia.

At Great Escape Classic Car Hire we loved that era when designers had free reign to create great looking cars outside the dictates of insurers and before legislation strangled design scope. The whale tale spoiler seems to embody that spirit.

We've got a classic whale tale Porsche 911 for hire on our fleet as well as a brilliant Saab 900 Turbo with Aero bodykit. You can sample the whale tale effect from £95 for 24 hours. For more details call 01527 893733 or visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/.

Porsche or Aston Martin - now you can decide

Great Escape Classic Car Hire is helping motoring fans live out their fantasies with two further additions to its UK classic and modern classic car hire fleet. The company has added a 1982 ice white Porsche 911, complete with iconic 'whale tale', and a beautiful gunmetal metallic Aston Martin DB9 Volante supercar.
The new self drive hire cars are available for rental from Great Escape's Worcestershire base on the edge of the Cotswolds. This is a great starting point for exploring the Cotswolds, Welsh Borders, Shropshire hills or Forest of Dean. The Porsche 911 and Aston Martin DB9 can be rented by the day or weekend and are suitable for weddings - on a self drive or chauffeur hire basis - or for a great day out to create a weekend break or celebrate a special birthday or anniversary.
The new Porsche 911 complements Great Escape's existing 1967 Porsche 911 in Suffolk. It is a 1982 3.2 litre Carrera in ice white with tan interior and five speed manual gearbox. It has seating for two adults and two children.
The Aston Martin DB9 Volante is a very high quality convertible fitted with a power hood, automatic gearbox - with paddle shifts - and 6 litre V12 engine. The gunmetal grey paintwork is complemented by a burgundy leather interior.
"These are two fantastic cars that will suit enthusiasts as well as anyone who just wants a great car for the weekend," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "They join or Worcestershire fleet, which is ideally located for visiting some great and scenic places and accessible from London, Birmingham and Manchester."
Both cars are backed by Great Escape's comprehensive hire package. This includes a full 24 hours use for every day booked, insurance for 1 driver and, AA breakdown cover. The Porsche is available with unlimited mileage and the Aston Martin price includes 150 miles per day.
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