Short, sharp, summer showers, didn’t dampen the spirit or enthusiasm of the many thousands attending the Flywheel Festival weekend event, which took place at former World War II bomber base Bicester Heritage on Saturday July 2 and Sunday July 3.
VR’s European team was on hand to meet and greet friends and welcome new subscribers and visitors. Upon looking at the cover of the June issue of Vintage Racecar featuring the Shadow DN4, one guy said, “I built that car in Northampton.” Indeed, it was Keith Barber, a fabricator who worked, in period, for both for Shadow and Arrows.
The event itself was headlined by Sir Stirling Moss, who was reunited with a handful of the many cars he drove during his illustrious career. Visitors were treated to the opportunity to hear his accounts of his motorsport days prior to the usual packed autograph session.
Flywheel also played host to hundreds of cars, motorbikes, aircraft and military vehicles in a celebration of historic motoring, aviation and military endeavor. Owners and drivers from across the UK brought their vehicles to Flywheel to experience the thrill of the demonstration track and share stories of the vehicles’ histories with the enthusiastic public. Highlights included pre-war Bentleys, Jaguar C- and D-Types and a 1901 Toledo steam car.
Hundreds of cherished classics from dozens of car clubs also attended, with a superb turnout of more than 230 cars from the Mercedes-Benz Club and 45 jaunty MG T-series cars from the MG Car Club T Register on display as part of the entertainment. Other car clubs included Bentley Drivers Club, Ferrari Owners Club, Morgan Sports Car Club and the Vintage Sports Car Club.
Visitors were also treated to flying displays from the likes of the Tiger 9 and Great War Display teams, with further aerial highlights from a unique P-51D Mustang, Yakovlev YAK-50 and Supermarine Spitfire IX MH434. The event also featured flypasts from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire and Hurricane, while the D-Day veteran Dakota and Catalina flying boat were literally the biggest features in an extensive and varied static display.
Military enthusiasts weren’t disappointed either, with a tremendous range of military vehicles and displays to explore. Flywheel’s new live-action tank display arena demonstrated just how effectively a Sherman, Grant or Centurion tank can plough up a field, and the tank passenger rides had ready takers all weekend, as did the Tiger Moth passenger flights.
“It was fantastic to see so many people on the site over the weekend,” commented Flywheel organizer Richard Grafton. “There was a real buzz to the event and we were thrilled at the combination of avid motoring and aviation enthusiasts alongside the families who were able to enjoy a fantastic day out. We are already starting to plan for next year’s Flywheel, and look forward to delivering something even bigger and better!”
