The Classic, Silverstone

July 30th - August 1st

Words: Jamal Blanc / Images: Chaydon Ford

The Classic-Silverstone 2021 did not disappoint, it’s the best mix of everything we enjoy; a three-day summer festival of motorsport, classics and family fun at the iconic Silverstone circuit, the scene of that epic Formula 1 battle two weeks earlier between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Featuring historic racing action from Formula One cars, sportscars, GTs and touring cars, with over 20 races and demonstrations, plus full access to the paddocks to get up close and personal with the cars, and talk to the drivers and pit crew. Friday is the official day of qualifying, but with the sound of race engines reverberating across the vast circuit on setup day as they are prepped for action, it gives the BMW Car Club events team a sneak preview of what was in store.

With over 160 cars arriving on the Saturday, we were fortunate to be located opposite the National Pits Straight on the hard standing area, conveniently next to the Pit-Stop café, and surrounded by other enthusiast displays of popular 80s and 90s classics.

Heritage

Taking centre stage at the heart of our stand was the fascinating 328, proudly showcasing BMW’s heritage. The preproduction Type 328 started its life in 1936 as a race car, and was the most successful car for a decade, a milestone for the brand built with reliability, agility and lightweight construction in mind. At 780 kilograms, powered by a 1.9-litre straight-six engine producing a modest 80 horsepower, it famously won the Nürburgring on its debut, going on to win over 200 races across Europe. From 1937, 464 private buyers received the road-going version of the 328 before production ended in 1940. Cars sold in the UK were badged as Frazer NashBMW. Visitors were delighted to get close to this 85 year old piece of automotive history, a car that embodies the values that underpin the BMW brand today.

Complementing the 328 was another head-turning roadster, the Z8. Paying homage to the BMW 507, the Z8 featured a classic roadster design created by Danish designer Henrik Fisker, who also created the Aston Martin DB9 and Vantage. Powered by a 395hp 4.9-litre V8 engine paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, each car had a matching hard top designed to integrate into the Z8’s shape. Produced until 2003, only 5,703 examples were built.

“Great variety of cars and entertainment, never a dull moment.”

GRAHAM ALEXANDER

Touring International Injection.

It’s another milestone for the 2002, with the 50th birthday of the Touring International Injection or ‘Tii’. Revealed in 1971, the 2002 Tii was instrumental in transforming BMW’s fortunes, using the same elegant body-shell of its two-door siblings, it boasted reinforced rear trailing arms, uprated front brakes with different front suspension legs to the regular 02s, bigger cylinder head exhaust valves and the mechanical injection pump with injectors capable of delivering a healthy 130bhp. A larger twin air filter cylinder box was fitted and an uprated alternator, relocated lower in the engine bay. 44,479 Tii models were produced, the last of which was built in 2006 by Mobile Traditions from new parts. The 02 owners were treated to a parade lap around the circuit on Saturday’s show.

Zukunft - ‘Future’

In June 1995 the BMW Z1 was superseded by the Z3, adding to an already impressive line-up of roadsters from the Bavarian marque. Staying true to its predecessors, the Z3 sported a long bonnet and rearwards driving position; it also inherited side grills like its 507 big brother. The Z3 was assembled in Carolina, USA, in two forms, as a Roadster and a Coupé, the former going on to sell over 297,000 units and 18,000 for the latter. Partnering with Zroadster.org, owners were treated to a belated 25-year anniversary lap of the Silverstone circuit.

Planning

hire costs, stock condition, merchandise updates, clash management, site visits, marketing and promotion, and display cars.

At the heart of our plans, one aspect tops all others, our members and visitors; they bring the cars and we provide the

hospitality. With a beautifully decorated marquee festooned with lights, ceiling banners, LED signage and parasol outdoor seating, we achieved our objective to recreate a garden-styled setting, allowing visitors and members to admire these beautiful machines, talk to the people behind them and exchange stories, surrounded by a fantastic chevron display of Z Roadsters, M Powered cars, 3, 5 and 8 Series classics, coupés and convertibles.

Our job is made all the easier working with Barbara Easter from Cotswold Marquees, who have been supplying equipment for this event since 2016. Designing a layout can be tricky as clubs are not informed where they will be positioned until a few weeks prior, building on hard standing is very different to grass, marquee size and surface determines weight requirements to ensure the structure is windproof and meets compliance.

Cotswold Marquees

“It is always a pleasure to work with regular customers and when the phone rings and it is Jamal, I know that there is a challenge ahead but it is tempered with good humour and laughter along the way.

To get the right marquee and kit for the BMW Car Club event at Silverstone I need to understand the way that the marquee is to be used on the day and it takes plenty of discussion time, sketches of layouts and photos of equipment going to and fro, working together to come to a final plan. It is always useful to look back to see what worked for the last set-up, and what was difficult; did the marquee cope with number of people and did the configuration work with the weather, too?

The easy option is to repeat what has gone before, but making a change adds interest both in the planning and for the visitors. However, it is always important to retain the identity of the Club by bringing in colours which complement the BMW Car Club logo.

This year’s setup was more of a challenge due to the changes to life of Covid has brought. The marquees needed to be open, giving a feeling of space yet still offer the opportunity to see the cars. There needs to be an area for clients to sit and enough room for refreshment prep. A marquee setup needs to provide an area for everyone to feel safe and, of course, provide essential shelter from the weather. Hopefully that was achieved.

The logistics for an event are often tricky, but all is straightforward at Silverstone circuit with staff passes issued early and vehicle access is great. All that is then needed is a bit of kindness from the weather.”

YOUR FAVOURITE CAR AT THE SHOW? “Ferrari F50” – SIMON MASKELL “TVR Tuscan” – FRANK MARSH “BMW Z8” – CHUCK HALLEN

DID YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW?

“Didn’t realise there was that many Triumph Stags still going!”

– MATTHEW BRAMALL

“I learnt about the Bertini body kit for the Z3. This is something I had never seen or heard about before, but two of these cars

appeared on the club stand.” – RICHARD RIXHAM

The i3 Taxi

Despite my best efforts for this festival, I was unable to acquire a Golf buggy to ferry our weary members to far flung corners of this vast estate. However, the Cotswold Region came to our rescue with an i3 for the weekend. In addition, our Regions Director arrived with two electric bikes courtesy of Kustom e-Bikes UK to get around the estate. My knowledge of e-bikes is limited, and judging by the reaction from visitors, I was not alone, but the Kustom Clubman and Cruzer with their café-racer styling didn’t need explaining, becoming an instant hit with visitors to the club stand.

Family fun

GOOSE are well versed in what makes a festival tick, and entertaining the next generation of car enthusiasts is a must, with lots of food and entertainment on offer for children on the Village Green, with free funfair rides, crazy golf, simulators, a shopping village and kids favourites such as a carousel, dodgems and a big wheel.

Thank you

I couldn’t end this write-up without extending my thanks. Firstly to Martyn Harrison at BMW for the loan of my personal favourite, the magnificent Frazer Nash-BMW 328; it was the highlight of my weekend. To APLAN’s Ian Arthur for the loan of his fridge, the directors for marshalling and the office team for working tirelessly in hospitality and exceeding expectations in clothing and merchandise sales. To the 47 people who joined over the weekend, welcome to the club, and the 27 ex-members who renewed.

A touching tribute was made by The Classic to Robert Foote, who sadly lost his life volunteering as a Brands Hatch race Marshall, our condolences to his family.