And they're off

It's been a sad old weekend for us here at Great Escape Classic Car Hire. First off our trusty 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee gave up the ghost when the head gasket blew. It's towed virtually every one of our classic cars for hire this year, covering 10,000 miles in the service of delivering and collecting cars for customers all over the UK. It became more than a workhorse, more of a trusted member of the team. Sadly it's not worth repairing it so it's off for spares or repair via Ebay.
Then on Saturday we despatched our 1994 Jaguar X300 XJR and 1984 Ford Capri S to new owners. We love both these cars but decided to move them on. Both cars have been popular but we like to keep our fleet fresh - and with space at a premium we had to do some brutal cutting. So until we move to our new unit early next year we won't be replacing these cars. But expect some exciting new additions in the first quarter.
It is a shame for these cars to go as the Jaguar XJR is a real sleeper classic - brutal performancecombined with genuinely cossetting luxury. All for a bargain basement price. They can't stay this cheap for much longer. Same with the Ford Capri 2 litre S. Every Capri fan wants a 2.8 but we'll let you into a secret - in terms of bangs for your buck, the 2 litre is hard to beat. We really like the woofly urge of our Ford Capri Brooklands for hire but the 2 litre is wonderfully chuckable and light. And not much slower than the 2.8.
So congratulations to David and Martin the new owners of the XJR and Capri, we hope you enjoy your purchases. We did.

Capri braves the snow again

Last week I had to swap cars between Great Escape Classic Car Hire's Suffolk and Worcestershire sites. Since one of the cars being moved was our 1984 Ford Capri 2 litre S readers of this blog will know that inevitably it snowed. Snow and our Capri are like gin and tonic - whenever one appears, the other closely follows. Fortunately the Cappa, as it's known, excels in the slushy stuff despite being rear wheel drive. It is light and very easy to control with narrow tyres, all of which helps it plough easily through the snow.

This time we got caught in a blizzard on the A14 east of Kettering. The snow fell rapidly and quickly clogged up the roads, causing lorries to slide into ditches and bringing traffic speeds right down. The weather worsened as we headed west but by 9.30pm we had made it as far as Stratford Upon Avon. Problems on the A46 Stratford to Alcester section - caused by a steep hill - nearly forced us to abort and B&B overnight in a deserted Stratford. But the mighty Ford Capri pulled through and a hairy detour via snowy roads to Bidford finally got us through.

So thanks again to the Ford Capri. The Ford Capri S will be heading back to Suffolk in early March when our Ford Capri 280 Brooklands arrives in Worcestershire. So Capri fans - or anyone who fancies a 1980s fix - can hire a Ford Capri from Suffolk or Worcestershire from Great Escape.

To find out more about the Ford Capri cars for hire visit the Great Escape website or call 01527 893733.

Hire a Ford Capri Brooklands

It's just coincidence that after we've spent the last few days being amazed by the snow-plugging power of the Great Escape Classic Car Hire Ford Capri S, we've gone and added a second Ford Capri to our classic hire fleet. Our existing Ford Capri S 2 litre is now complemented by the ultimate Ford Capri - a 280 Brooklands. So now there are twice as many Ford Capris available to hire in the world - and they're both available from Great Escape.

Our new Ford Capri is one of the 1000 limited edition runout 280 models, known as Brooklands Capris because of the beautiful metallic green finish. The Ford Capri Brooklands was made over by Ford's Special Vehicle Engineering division (SVE) who tidied up the handling with suspension improvements, including adding a limited slip differential. The Brooklands Capri features the venerable 2.8 litre V6 Ford Cologne engine, which saw service in several high performance Ford cars of the 1980s.

The Ford Capri Brooklands has achieved true classic status over the last 25 years because it was the last of the great Ford Capri line and was the last classic old-school rear wheel drive Ford.

The latest addition to the Great Escape fleet is part of our growing line up of aspiring classic cars from the 1980s. The classic car hire fleet also includes VW Golf GTI, Porsche 928, Jaguar XJS, Alfa Romeo Alfasud and the Ford Capri S.

We have classic Ford Capri cars for hire from our Suffolk fleet, where our Ford Capri S is now based and our Cotswolds fleet, where our Ford Capri 280 Brooklands is based. Hire prices start at £145 for 24 hours and including insurance, unlimited mileage and breakdown cover.

For more information on the Great Escape Classic Ford Capri cars for hire, visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/ or call 01527 893733.

Capri is snow-perb

The snow hit quick and hard yesterday, rendering my everyday 1994 Jaguar XJR redundant - big tyres, loads of power and driver aids meant it surrendered in the snow. So it was back to the Great Escape Classic Car Hire unit in Inkberrow to choose a better car to escape back home in.

It had to be the Ford Capri. 1970s and 1980s Fords were rally car champions and a good dose of this snow and mud plugging capability passed into the genes of the company's everyday car range. The Great Escape Ford Capri is a Mark 3 2 litre S so it is lighter than a V6 but with plenty of power. This, plus rear drive and fairly narrow tyres, meant it made quick work of the hills and valleys that typify Worcestershire. In three trips around the local area it proved a hugely adept and very safe companion, quietly passing stranded modern cars in a whirr of wheelspin and power lock slides. The beauty of the Capri is that it is safe and predictable - slides are easy to correct and the car constantly tells you what the wheels are doing.

So there you have it - forget 4x4s and traction control, buy a Ford Capri. Or better still, give Great Escape a call on 01527 893733 and hire a Ford Capri. Prices start at £145 for 24 hours. And as added bonuses it has a great heater and good stereo.