Don't let your special date get away

Great Escape Classic Car Hire, the UK's largest specialist classic car rental fleet operator, says it is experiencing unprecedented demand for car hire in 2011. The news suggests the tourism industry in 2011 may be recovering and the trend towards 'staycations' is continuing.
"Our advance bookings are significantly up on 2010," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "Some of our cars are fully booked for popular weekends right up to November 2011, which is unprecedented. We have also sold a record number of gift vouchers, which will redeem during 2011.
"We are recommending that customers who need particular cars for specific dates, such as for a wedding, book early to avoid disappointment."
Despite the popularity of its fleet, Great Escape Classic Car Hire has not changed its commitment to fair and transparent pricing. Customers still get a full 24 hours use for every day booked, unlimited mileage, comprehensive insurance and full AA breakdown cover. You can also book a single day at weekends and the price for weekends is the same as weekdays - there is no premium charged.
Great Escape Classic Car Hire operates a fleet of 50 classic cars from 6 locations across the UK including Shropshire, Suffolk, Yorkshire, East Midlands and Worcestershire. The company's entire fleet of cars can be booked online up to 12 months in advance - or specific dates can be reserved.
For more details visit www.greatescapecars.co.uk or call 01527 893733.

View external link

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.
View external link

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/

View external link

Figaro Figaro For Hire

Great Escape Classic Car Hire, the UK's largest specialist classic car rental company, has introduced a retro-style Nissan Figaro to its fleet of cars for hire in the Cotswolds. The stylish two door soft top convertible was built in small numbers in the 1990s in Japan. Over the last 10 years it has become very popular with people who appreciate its quirky style and easy to drive nature.
The Nissan Figaro is available to hire from Great Escape's satellite site in the Cotswolds near Evesham. This is easy to get to from London or Bristol or Birmingham and very close to popular destinations like Stow on the Wold, Broadway and Winchcombe.
The car is finished in beige with a cream leather interior and features a power hood, automatic gearbox and electric windows. It is a two seater with space in the rear for children, or adults on a short journey. It is available to hire backed by Great Escape Classic Car Hire's usual comprehensive hire package - which gives you a full 24 hours use for every day you book, unlimited mileage, insurance for 1 driver and full breakdown cover included within the price.
"We have classic cars for hire from the 1950s to 1990s so the Nissan Figaro is a perfect addition," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape Classic Car Hire. "It is stylish, easy to drive and perfect for touring the Cotswolds. We think it will be popular with couples who want a great car for the weekend that is as easy to drive as a modern car, and with many people who just love the Figaro."
You can find out more about the Nissan Figaro for hire in the Cotswolds by clicking here.
View external link

Jaguar XJ6 adds 1970s glamour to photoshoot

A 1974 Jaguar XJ6 saloon from Great Escape Classic Car Hire has been specially selected for a glamorous fashion shoot because of its distinctive colour scheme. The creative team from fashion label Tucker loved the Sable with green interior Jaguar XJ6 Series 2 car and decided to feature it in the photo shoot for their new catalogue.
Great Escape delivered the car to The Master Shipwright's House in Deptford, London on Easter Friday at 7am for the day-long photo shoot. The unique waterfront location was selected to suit Tucker's London-themed shoot. The Jaguar XJ6 was chosen as a typically British 1970s saloon car and the colour scheme fitted right into the period feel.
The Tucker shoot is one of several music video and static photoraphy location projects that have featured Great Escape cars in 2010.
"We have a lot of experience of working with production teams," says Graham Eason of Great Escape. "It's important to be flexible. This shoot was short notice, on a Bank Holiday and involved a very early start. But we like that kind of challenge.
"Our 1974 Jaguar XJ6 saloon has quite an unusual colour scheme, which was very fashionable in the 1970s but lost favour in the 1980s and 1990s. We think it makes the car stand out, which is what you want when you hire a car. It's great to see that the car is once again fashionable."
The Great Escape Jaguar XJ6 is available to hire by the day, week or weekend from Great Escape Classic Car Hire's Worcestershire base.
For more details visit the Great Escape website.

View external link

Jaguar XJS on BBC Antiques Road Trip

Great Escape Classic Car Hire's popular Jaguar XJS V12 convertible features in the new series of Antiques Road Trips which is shown during the week at 6.30pm on BBC2. The series involves antiques experts driving across the UK competing to earn the most money by buying and selling antiques.
The Jaguar XJS from Great Escape Classic Car Hire is heavily featured in the Cotswolds and Dorset section of the series, which airs in late March. The car is featured heavily in the show to transport the two experts between antique shops and sale rooms across the county.
Great Escape Classic Car Hire provided the 1988 Jaguar XJS for the series during August 2009. The car performed faultlessly and provided relaxing and highly comfortable transport for the production crew and show stars.
Great Escape's cars are regularly used for TV, film and video work and have featured in recent music videos, art pieces, magazine shoots - including for OK! magazine - and film.
If you would like to trace the route of the antiques experts then you can hire the Jaguar XJS from Great Escape in Worcestershire. The company will provide details of the route to follow.
To find out more about the Jaguar XJS for hire from Great Escape in the Cotswolds click here.
View external link

Rovering around

Towards the end of MG Rover the Rover name was hastily superglued to virtually any model that John Towers and co could fit it on. But behind the proud Viking insignia lies an illustrious history of cars that were once the BMWs of their day. At Great Escape Classic Car Hire we think it's time to remember what it really meant to drive a Rover.

In the 1950s and 196s Rover developed a range of cars that were conservative and traditional but superbly well engineered and made. These cars, such as the Rover P4 and Rover P5, were popular with doctors, lawyers and bankers for whom a Jaguar was just a little too flash. This range of cars and this market was solid and worthy but not necessarily wide enough to keep Rover in business for ever.

The staple car for Rover through the 1960s was the Rover P5, launched in 1958 with a 3 litre straight six engine and developed through Mark 1, 2 and 3 versions with steadily improving aesthetics and comfort. The Rover P5 was available, unusually, as a saloon and four door coupe, the latter having a sloping rear roof and particularly pleasing lines.

In 1967 Rover had a flash of inspiration. Following the chance discovery of a lightweight V8 Buick engine during a trip to the USA, the Rover management secured the manufacturing rights and promptly dropped it into the Rover P5 to create the P5B (B for Buick). The P5B was a wolf in sheep's clothing, the lightweight 3.5 litre V8 engine producing a lovely throaty noise and remarkable performance. This old girl could really lift her skirts when the doctors and lawyers of Britain's shire counties fancied a walk on the wild side.

The Rover P5B in many respects saved Rover from oblivion. Plodding on making cars for Middle England was unsustainable in the rapidly changing Swinging Sixties. The Rover P5B changed that. It was equally at home chauffeuring a Head of State - Margarat Thatcher loved the Rover P5B - or the Managing Director of a newly successful engineering firm. Rover became about nouveau rich as well as olde worlde money.

Despite the opulence, style and capability of the Rover P5B, it has always been one of those cars that has hidden a little under the radar in the classic car fraternity. It seems to have been under the shadow of cars like the Jaguar Mk2 and later Rover P6. At Great Escape Classic Car Hire we've always loved them. And now we have two - a 1965 Rover P5 Mk3 with the 3 litre Rover engine and a Rover P5B coupe with the Buick engine. The Rover P5 is available to hire in Suffolk and the Rover P5B is available to hire from our Cotswolds base. Perfect for a day or weekend away with friends and family - just drop the picnic tables and enjoy some 1960s style. The Rover P5B is finished in white with a grey roof so it also looks good as a wedding car.

New Mercedes Classic Car Hire Fleet

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has teamed up with Classic Mercerdes Hire to create the largest fleet of Mercedes classic cars for hire in the UK. The classic cars are available to rent from the company's Worcestershire base and include classic convertibles, coupes and saloons from the 1960s to 1990s.
Great Escape now offers the widest choice of classic Mercedes to hire in the UK from its base in Worcestershire. the fleet of 10 classic Mercedes Benz coupes, convertibles and saloons is the result of a partnership with specialist Classic Mercedes Hire.
The cars range from the 1960s to 1990s and include the elegant Pagoda as well as examples of the company's best coupes, convertibles and saloons from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
The new Mercedes Benz hire fleet is ideal for a weekend away or a wedding. Many of the cars are 'modern classics' from the 1980s and 1990s and will appeal to customers who want the distinctive style of a classic car with the convenience of a modern car.
The new fleet is available to hire with Great Escape's fully transparent classic car hire package. This includes a full 24 hours use for every day booked, unlimited mileage, insurance and breakdown cover.
To find out more visit Great Escape Classic Car Hire or call 01527 893733.
View external link

Won over to the charms of the MGB GT

I admit it. When I set up Great Escape Classic Car Hire I never expected to have a MG on the fleet. The plan was to feature cars not already widely available for hire and mainly from the late 1970s and 1980s. Now we have three - MGA, MGB convertible and MGB GT coupe. So what happened?

I was won over, pure and simple. I didn't grow up with MGAs and MGBs but now I realise what great cars they are. Familiarity has a habit of weakening charm but take a fresh look at a MGB convertible or roadster or the MGA and it would take a hard heart to argue that they don't look just great. The MGB to have of course is a chrome bumper model and now we have two of these lovely looking cars available for self drive hire - one in Worcestershire (a MGB GT) and one in Dorset (a MGB convertible). These are cars that are exactly what you expect from a classic - good fun to drive, easy to drive. Some old cars take a while to feel familiar but you can just jump into a MGB and drive. Which doesn't mean they're boring - just that you have more time to enjoy the experience of driving a great looking classic through some wonderful British scenery in the Cotswolds and Dorset.

For more information 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.

New Classic Jaguar Car Hire Specialist

Jaguars are one of the most popular classic cars for hire in the UK. Most classic car hire fleets are quite small so until now enthusiasts have had to pick and choose Jaguar cars, locations and websites in order to sample different classic Jag models. Great Escape Classic Car Hire has solved the problem by creating a specialist division to hire its large fleet of classic Jaguars.

The new division, Classic Jaguars, brings together the largest fleet of Jaguar classic cars in the UK. The cars can be viewed online at http://www.hireclassicjaguars.co.uk/.


Classic Jaguars from Great Escape has examples of virtually every classic Jaguar from the 1960s to 1990s available to hire from its sites in Suffolk, Worcestershire and Dorset. This is the widest range of classic Jaguar cars available for self drive hire in the UK. The new division enables visitors to browse the entire range in one place and hire any car from any of Great Escape's UK locations.

Classic Jaguars cars are available to hire at http://www.hireclassicjaguars.co.uk/ or by calling 01527 893733. They include the Jaguar Mk2, E Type convertibles and coupes with 4.2 and V12 engines, XJ6 saloon and coupe, XKR, XJR, and XJ-S convertible. Some of these cars are the only ones of their type available to hire in the UK. Prices start at £155 for 24 hours and include unlimited mileage, insurance and breakdown cover.

The new website includes descriptions and pictures of the cars and links to the Great Escape online availability check and booking system. Great Escape has also developed several unique Jaguar-themed classic car driving experiences that enable customers to sample several classic Jaguar cars in one day. These include the jaguar V12 Dilemma that compares the V12 Jaguar XJ-S with the V12 Jaguar E Type coupe.

Relax and de-stress with a weekend in the Cotswolds

When the news is filled with credit crunches and sub-prime mortgages, we all need to destress. We’ve found a new way to relax that doesn’t involve foot spas, face packs or hill walking. Take to the wheel of a Morris Minor Traveller from http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/ and discover what it really means to sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery.

With a top speed of just 60 miles per hour and the sort of acceleration that keeps cyclists waiting, the cute Morris is the perfect addition to a relaxing, romantic weekend away. Great Escape can even provide gourmet picnic hampers and interesting route plans to help you get away from it all. From Great Escape’s site you can head for the Cotswolds, Wales, Shropshire, Worcestershire or Warwickshire. Great Escape can even recommend luxury boutique B&Bs and hotels.

The Morris costs £135 per day to hire. The price includes 24 hours use, unlimited mileage, insurance, a full information pack and carbon offsetting. It is the only one of its type to hire in Europe and one of only two in the world. Great Escape also has two Morris Minor Convertibles for hire.

The Morris guarantees relaxation and smiles because it’s so slow it forces you to take life at a slower pace. Just cruise along, enjoy the scenery, find a quiet spot and throw out the picnic rug. What could be more better on a summer’s day?

Great Escape has sites in Worcestershire, Dorset and Suffolk and has over 30 cars for self drive hire. Alongside the Morris, Great Escape has classic and sports cars for hire including Jensen Interceptors, Jaguar XJS convertible, Alfa Romeo Spider, Jaguar E Type roadster and 2+2, Porsche 928, Jaguar Mk2, Rolls Royce Silver Spirit and 1974 Jaguar XJ6 long wheelbase saloon.

Great Escape provides classic cars for self drive hire for daily and weekend use. For more details visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/ or call 01527 893733. Great Escape is the only classic car hire company with full online availability check, reservation service and online booking and payment.