The John Griff Column: Got a hobby? Good!

Instead, I found myself some peace and relaxation where ordinarily I would have expected to find noise and activity. All my life I’ve had an interest in cars. My father was an engineer and gave me an appreciation of all things mechanical to the point where if it had an engine, I was interested. I grew up just a few miles from Silverstone, so when the chance came to go to Bicester Motion and wander around lines of cars in last Saturday’s sunshine, I took it.

The history of Bicester Motion is itself fascinating. A bomber training base during World War 2, the huge hangars and dispersal buildings remain to this day, as does the control tower, engineering buildings, shelters and more. The place has been loving restored to its former glory and now houses a variety of artisan engineering businesses – and I mean that word in its fullest sense. The supreme craftsmanship with which a myriad of products come out of its multiple spaces has to be seen to be appreciated and is testament to the skills with which Britain wrote its reputation for engineering brilliance. Past, present or future, Bicester Motion holds a rightful place in Motorsport Valley, as do plenty of business here in Northamptonshire. Still able to host incoming and departing aircraft, albeit not the bombers with which its history was originally written, Bicester is also a noted location in the car enthusiast community through its famed ‘Scramble’events, which usually sell out months before they actually take place.

On Saturday I pulled onto what was originally a bomber taxiway, to take my place in a display with the car club that I’m a member of myself. The club needed cars based reasonably close to the site to put on a display – would I like to take part? Certainly. The event was the inaugural ‘Food and Fuel’ gathering of cars and streetfood vans, with cars covering every era and interest and food doing pretty much the same. From bouncing Cadillacs to small, rust-covered hatchbacks circumnavigating the globe and priceless supercars to rebuilds lovingly put together by their owners, they came from far and wide. I spoke to one Bournemouth based owner who had rebuilt an imported Datsun 240 because ‘…my dad rebuilt a car like this and I wanted to do the same as a kind of tribute to him…’ – I could appreciate the sentiment. Like most owners there on the day, he’s got a To Do list which will probably never be completed, such is the tinkering that these people put themselves through, usually with a broad grin on their faces.

Everyone was friendly too. Wherever they came from, whatever the story, they warmly welcomed every visitor to their allotted patch of grass or concrete on the airfield. It wasn’t a particularly male dominated demographic on the day - plenty of entire families took in the cars, bikes and sunshine, everyone wandering slowly around, waiting to be served in the outdoor food court and animatedly swapping stories. During the morning a small aircraft landed on the grass. Completely unconnected to the event, the pilot left his plane and walked across the taxiway in search of coffee. It was a replica of an original aircraft which he hadn’t owned for very long he told me, falling into the same, easy-going conversation that everyone else seemed to be having. The fact that his plane was equipped with a small Rolls-Royce aero engine struck me immediately, the RR badge on the plane’s nose making it a very welcome, if slightly ironic addition to the guestlist.

The event was notably peaceful. There were no burnouts – and very little revving of engines. This was shine and show. The sun shone and the cars showed. My time at Bicester was short, but the impact of the unexpected peace and the friendliness of everyone attending made for a noticeably relaxing morning. It was simple pleasure, simply achieved. Congratulations to the organisers.

Maybe we should be celebrating hobbies more than we do – and taking an interest in each other’s. We might achieve better engagement with each other and de-stress as a result, to the benefit of all.