The first event of the year is always special. It is as if you are lost in a desert and then catching a glimpse of an oasis.
While the British Automotive season ends with the arrival of winter, the first event that you attend in the new season feels like a beacon of hope. This was especially the case for many enthusiasts in England who looked for Bicester Scramble in January 2025. Only the day before the event were weather warnings and snow fell through the country at night. Snow is rare in the UK, so the big question was: would the event continue? And if so, could people even make it?
I spent the evening making snowballs and threw them to my family, but also kept an eye on the social media of the Scramble for updates. All hope was not lost when I peeked out of the window around midnight and saw that the snow had stopped. I had never been so happy to see rain; Things looked up!
The next morning I woke up early, put half a dozen clothing on and stepped outside. I could not let the first British car event of the year slip away. After I had taken a hot chocolate, I turned on the heated seats in my car and slowly walked on my way to Bicester.
Given all the snow and slush on the roads, I thought it would be a quieter clambering. But it turned out that I could not have been wrong anymore.
Standing at the entrance to Bicester Motion, chatting with friends and acquaintances, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Car after the car kept coming. Each vehicle was filled with smiling passengers, all enthusiastic to meet fellow enthusiasts in the midst of a number of beautiful machines.
And there was something for everyone. Subaru owners were in force and used their four-wheel drive well. I had never seen so much Imprezas during a clambering.
Land Rover owners were also in their element. My favorite face was an ex-Fire Brigade series 2 Land Rover, recently bought by a talented young photographer.
But it was not only practical cars that had braved it again. The supercars were on the other side of the spectrum. A friend of the Supercar Driver Club was a bit worried that morning, but when I saw him later, he beamed from ear to ear and stood next to more than 30 machines that were Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, McLarens and more.
Petrolheads often run the risk of being strange, and non-petrolheads simply do not understand the attraction of cars. Of course, they are just metal and share, but the love we have for them goes beyond that. The auto community has always been especially for me – it is included and hospitable for all enthusiasts. No car is not appreciated.
Despite the winter conditions, the energy with the first Bicester Scramble of 2025 could be felt. If you didn’t know better, you would think it was in the middle of the summer! Almost.
After a few hours I was completely soaked, but that could not be the shine of what I regards as the perfect start of the year.
Jathu Thillai
Instagram: Jathuthillai
www.jtoncars.uk
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