Classic Car Buyer

When Great Escape Classic Car Hire organised its classic car rally we also invited along a couple of classic car journalists to sample the day and tell us what they thought.

One of those who came along was Phil Wheedon, Editorial Director of Classic Car Buyer. Phil has previously driven our Rover SD1 Vitesse in Suffolk but this time took the wheel of our Jensen Interceptor, Jaguar Mk2, Jaguar e Type, Jaguar XJS, Daimler Sovereign and TVR Tuscan. Apart from a couple of comments about the paintwork on the E Type and the XJS' handling (both cars are already booked in for work), he was full of praise for the excellent condition of the cars, the route and the organisation of the event.

"it's the perfect present for any petrol head," said Phil in summary. "Great Escape has a fine concept on its hands and I hope the company does more of them."

Our next classic car rally is on July 2nd when we are taking a tour of the Welsh Borders. m Our Break for the Border rally is already booking up and places are limited. Prices start at just £295 for one driver (less than hiring the E Type for a similar period) and includes lunch, fuel, insurance, a 180 mile tour and even breakfast.

For more details call 01527 893733 or email graham@greatescapecars.co.uk.

Classic car hire prices held until February 2011

At Great Escape Classic Car Hire we've decided to extend the season of goodwill by delaying the VAT increase on our prices until February 2011. So you can still buy gift vouchers and book classic car hire for any of our fleet of 50 cars from any of our 6 locations at 2010 prices.
"We decided to extend our 2010 prices and absorb the VAT increase as a gesture of goodwill," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape Classic Car Hire. "Times are tough for everyone and the VAT rise doesn't help. Our decision to offer a Christmas discount proved very popular with customer so we decided to extend the season of goodwill."
Great Escape Classic Car Hire operates the largest fleet of classic cars for hire in the UK from locations in Suffolk, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Yorkshire, East Midlands and Dorset. The fleet covers classic and performance cars from the 1950s to 2000s.
For more details call 01527 893733 or visit www.greatescapecars.co.uk
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48 hours with 24 cylinders

They just don't make engines like the classic Jaguar 5.3 litre V12 any more. It's an engine so smooth that you can safely balance a £1 coin on it while it is running. After you've driven a V12, everything else just seems unrefined.

Great Escape Classic Car Hire in Worcestershire has launched a special weekend driving experience that lets you sample two applications of this iconic engine. Called the V12 Dilemma, the package lets you put this 285 bhp engine to the test in two of its most iconic settings - the Jaguar E Type convertible and the Jaguar XJS convertible. These cars represent two very different approaches to grand touring from two different eras, but sharing the same engine. Spend 24 hours touring the Cotswolds in each car and then tell us which you think is best. The package includes use of both cars and accommodation in a luxury B&B.

You can choose to start your experience in either car. Then spend 24 hours driving the first car before we deliver the second car to your local accommodation. Tour the Cotswolds in that car - using our recommended routes if you want - and then return to our storage site 24 hours later.

In addition to our normal hire package the V12 Dilemma experience includes free extras worth £100, including delivery and collection of one car to your local accommodation and a gourmet picnic lunch for two.

With the V12 Dilemma you can choose to head north, south, east of west from the Great Escape storage site and travel as far or as little as you like. We'll discuss your preferences and create a bespoke package to suit you.

1973 Jaguar E Type Roadster

Regularly voted the most beautiful car ever made, the E Type is the archetypical classic car. When Jaguar dropped its ultra-smooth V121 5.3 litre engine into the Series 3 EType it created a brilliant grand tourer that is effortlessly powerful. Over 30 years after it went out of production the E Type is a car that bears the weight of expectations ably on its curvaceous shoulders. The Great Escape E Type is a late Series 3 with Old English White paintwork, black leather interior, four speed manual gearbox and power steering.

1988 Jaguar XJS Convertible

When Jaguar replaced the beautifil EType with the lithe XJS in 1975 buyers were surprised. But the XJS went on to outsell the E Type and remain in production for longer. Today coupe and convertible XJS' are sought-after classics recognised for their style and presence. Jaguar finally chopped the roof off the XJS in 1988 and created the elegant convertible, generally acknowledge as the most attractive variant. The Great Escape Jaguar XJS is an early 1988 pre-facelift V112 convertible with light blue metalllic paintwork and blue leather interior with walnut dashboard. It is fitted with every available optional extra including heated seats, cruise control, powwer roof, air conditioning and a trip computer. It benefits from a TWR rear seat conversion to create a 'compact' four seater.

V12 Dilemma Package at a Glance

• 24 hrs each in two classic Jaguar V12 convertibles
• Includes free local delivery and collection
• Includes free gourmet picnic lunch for two
• No mileage limit
• Two full day suggested driving routes provided
• Insurance, breakdown cover, carbon offsetting and parking for your own car included
• Great Escape DVD
• Available as a Gift Voucher package valid for 12 months

Total package price is £650 including car hire and accommodation. For more information click here or call 01527 893733. The package is available to buy online as a gift voucher at http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk and is valid for 12 months.

Join the first Great Escape Classic Car Rally

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has announced its inaugural Easter 2011 Classic Car Rally. The experience involves a full day, 120 mile drive on some of our favourite roads in the Cotswolds and features up to 8 classic cars from across our fleet of 50 classics.
The unique event, the first of its kind from Great Escape, is an ideal way to sample a range of different classic cars. The day lasts at least 9 hours with almost continuous driving. The tour is attractively priced at just £245 per driver or £395 for two when booked at the same time. This includes use of at least five classic cars, fuel, lunch and guided 120 mile tour.
"We have been organising classic car days for corporate clients for some time," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "We have a format that works so we decided to make it available to private clients.
"This is a great way to sample a wide range of classics - we have the largest fleet for hire in the UK so there is plenty of choice."
Everyone who signs up for the day gets the chance to vote for the cars they would like to drive. These votes will be used by Great Escape to select the hire fleet for the day.
The classic car rally is available for a maximum of 16 people with up to 8 cars. Drivers can attend with non-drivers.
To find out more click here or call 01527 893733.

Tourism Awards Success for Great Escape

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has beaten off stiff competition from across the Heart of England to be named one of the region's best tourism experiences. The winners of the Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards were announced in Birmingham on 21st October. Great Escape was a finalist in the Best Tourism Experience category and received a Highly Commended award on the night.
"The judges said they were impressed by our customer service, our partnership approach to working with other tourism providers and our growth and development over the last four years," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "We were up against tough competition from major tourist venues like Drayton Manor Park so we are extremely pleased with the result."
Great Escape Classic Car Hire operates a fleet of 50 cars from five locations across the UK and has its main headquarters in Worcestershire. The company specialises in providing classic and vintage sports cars for self drive hire, including offering complete weekend break packages with hotels and touring routes.
For more information on Great Escape Classic Car Hire call 01527 893733. For more details on the company's weekend break packages visit The Getaway Driver or call 01386 792056.

Goodwood a go-go

The growing popularity of the Goodwood Revival saw Great Escape Classic Car Hire rent more than 20 classic cars to Goodwood Revival visitors over the mid-September weekend. Despite a normally quiet late-summer period Great Escape had one of its busiest weekends on record thanks to demand for classic cars by visitors keen to enter into the spirit of the Revival weekend.
Particularly popular were Great Escape's pre-1966 classics, which give customers access to the vast Classic Car Show field. Despite the Great Escape classic car hire fleet completing several thousand miles over the weekend, including long periods stuck in the usual Chichester traffic jam on the road into the event, only one of the cars suffered a minor mishap. Great Escape's local Dorset branch managed to remedy the problem in a short space of time and provided the customer immediately with an alternative car.
Among the cars on hire were a trio of classics for a corporate client. Great Escape delivered the cars to Winchester at 7am for the client and collected them that evening at 7pm.
"Goodwood Revival is a remarkable experience," says Graham Eason of Great Escape. "We start booking up for the following year as soon as the event is over. This year was particularly busy for us as we've added several pre-1966 cars and we also supported two corporate events during the week. To ensure we provided cars on time in the right place some of our team had 90 minutes sleep over two days."
Great Escape Classic Car Hire is the largest specialist classic car rental company in the UK. The company has a fleet of over 50 classic cars for hire from sites in Yorkshire, Suffolk, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Dorset and Oxford.
For more details call 01527 893733 or click here.
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Great Escape Reaches Regional Tourism Awards Shortlist

It is beginners luck for Great Escape Classic Car Hire, which has been named as one of four companies shortlisted for the Best Tourism Experience category in the Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards 2010. These are the first awards that the company has ever entered in its four year history and the small family firm faced stiff competition from large regional tourism experiences to reach the shortlist.

The Heart of England Best Tourism Experience recognises high performance in customer care, service quality and marketing. Great Escape impressed the judges with its partnership approach, working with local restaurants and accommodation and activity providers to create complete weekend breaks for customers under its Getaway Driver brand.

Great Escape Classic Car Hire was set up 4 years ago by Graham Eason with just two cars. Today the company has a fleet of over 50 classic vehicles operating from four sites in Worcestershire, Suffolk, Yorkshire and Dorset. When Graham was made redundant from his day job working for a construction company he was able to focus full time on the business and it has grown significantly in the last 12 months. Great Escape is now the largest classic car hire company in the UK and a leading provider of cars to TV, film and advertising companies.

“We are over the moon to reach the shortlist,” says Graham Eason of Great Escape. “From day one we have tried to do something different – a different choice of cars, higher standards of presentation and service and high standards of vehicle preparation and maintenance. It seems that the judges were also impressed by that.

“We have had to work hard to combat the effects of the recession. By working with local partners to create complete weekend packages and increasing our range of cars we’ve managed to buck the downturn.”


Great Escape provides classic cars on a self drive basis for weekend and weekday getaways. The company has a fleet of over 50 cars at four locations, ranging from a 1957 Morris Minor Traveller to a 1967 Aston Martin DB6. Great Escape has also invested significantly in modern classics from the 1980s, including models familiar to fans of Ashes to Ashes, Minder and The Professionals.

Great Escape was founded in 2006 by Graham Eason to combine his interest in classic cars with his experience in marketing. The business has grown through development of its fleet and through acquisition, in 2009 taking over the former Grand Touring Club business in Suffolk.

Classic car hire starts at £145 for 24 hours and every hire day includes a full 24 hours use, unlimited mileage, insurance and breakdown cover. For more details visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/, call 01527 893733 or email info@greatescapecars.co.uk.

The Jaguar XJS rocks

The Great Escape Classic Car Hire Jaguar XJS V12 convertible has been chosen by up and coming heavy rock band Jett Black to appear in the video for its new single 'Two Hot Girls.' The band wanted a four seater convertible that would fit the retro 1980s style they were looking for and the classic Jaguar fitted the bill.
The band collected the Jaguar from Great Escape's base in Worcestershire and used it on set in London overnight.
Great Escape supplies a lot of cars to TV, film, production and advertising companies for music videos and photo shoots but the Jaguar XJS is usually selected for traditional English roles. This is the first time that its quintessentially 1980s style has been used to effect. The Great Escape Jaguar XJS is best known for its role in the 2009 first series of Antiques Road Trips on BBC2.
A Jaguar XJS convertible also features in Swift Cover's current advertising campaign with Iggy Pop, so clearly its rock credentials are on the up.
You can find out more about the Jaguar XJS here and Jett Black here. The Jett Black video for Two Hot Girls will be out in about 6 weeks.

Police using Rover SD1 again

We were very interested to read in today's Times newspaper (17th June 2010) that the UK police have gone back to using trusty Rover SD1 V8 saloons, like the one we hire out here at Great Escape. Apparently with felons to apprehend nearby and a dearth of modern patrol cars in the car park, officers at Ruislip in Middlesex had to use a Rover 3500 SD1 kept in the police car pool.

The Rover SD1, in full police livery complete with blue flashing lights, apparently belongs to one of the officers at the station and is one of three police-liveried cars that he owns. He also has a 1962 Jaguar Mk2 and a 1956 Wolseley. In similar circumstances with the long arm of the law to extend, for us it would have been a toss up between the Mk2 and SD1 - the Jaguar Mk2 is more powerful (220 bhp according to Jaguar, versus 155bhp for the Rover) but the SD1 copes better with taking corners on the doorhandles. We are told.

Full marks to the police and we hope the miscreants were apprehended. Perhaps they gave up - after all, who'd want to miss a cosseting ride in the big 80s Rover?

You can imagine recreating the scene with Great Escape Classic Car Hire's 1986 Rover SD1 Vitesse - the ultimate high performance limited production Twin Plenum model. You can hire it by the day or weekend with classic car hire prices starting at £165 for 24 hours, including insurance and unlimited mileage.

Jensen starts manufacturing again

It looks like Jensen may be back in business manufacturing a select number of cars to super rich clients, just like in the old days. Tim Hearley, former MD of Aston Martin, who owns the rights to the Jensen brand has set up a company in the Isle of Man to build 50-100 'new' Jensen Interceptor cars each year. It is not clear exactly what form the new car will take but it seems likely that it will be based on the Interceptor S and Interceptor SX that were formerly built in very small numbers in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

For more details visit the Isle of Man Today website.

If you don't have the necessary spare £200,000 for a new Interceptor, why not spend £245 and hire one for the day instead - at Great Escape Classic Car Hire we have Jensen Interceptor cars for hire in Dorset, Suffolk and Cotswolds.

Cool weekends away without the hassle

The Getaway Driver is a new concept launched by Great Escape Classic Car Hire, the UK's largest classic car hire company, which brings together cool cars, great hotels and superb driving routes to create great weekend breaks without the planning hassle.
The Getaway Driver has access to Great Escape's full range of 60 classic cars to hire from locatons in Suffolk, Midlands, Dorset and Yorkshire. Its trip planners match cars with hand-picked hotels and driving routes to create cool weekends away for customers. By bringing everything together and using their local knowledge, The Getaway Driver saves customers the time and hassle - and cost - of building a cool, stylish and unusual weekend away.
Getaway Driver breaks can be built to suit virtually any budget and using any one of 60 classic cars from four locations.
"The Getaway Driver is all about being Steve McQueen for the weekend," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "We created The Getaway Driver because customers were asking us for accommodation and driving route recommendations, so we decided to put everything together.
"The Getaway Driver lets customers create cool, stylish and unique weekends with just one call. We do all the work using our knowledge of the local area and our local contacts.
"I've tried to create the sort of weekend I'd love. I love cars, hotels and places that are different and off the beaten track. When I have a weekend away I want it to be memorable and different. I want to feel I got to know the area. I want to drive some great roads but I want my wife to enjoy it too. That's what The Getaway Driver is all about."
For more information on The Getaway Driver call 01386 793887 or visit http://www.thegetawaydriver.co.uk/

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