Drive It Day 2026: a Mini adventure from Bristol to Bicester

A 1963 Speedwell-tuned Mini Cooper, an early start from Bristol and a spring route through the Cotswolds turned Drive It Day into a proper West Country road trip for Mark G. Whitchurch

Drive It Day is a useful reminder that a good Sunday drive still takes some beating.

Organised each spring by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, the day encourages owners of classic and historic vehicles to put miles on them, whether that means a short local run, a club gathering, a country pub lunch or a larger event.

For us, this year’s destination was Bicester Motion in Oxfordshire, where the Spring Scramble brings thousands of cars, owners and enthusiasts to the former RAF Bicester site. The car was our 1963 Speedwell-tuned Mini Cooper, fresh from a winter of work and ready for its first proper run of the year.

We left Bristol early on Sunday 26 April 2026, with the Smoke Grey Mini on the drive and my two girls along for the day. The city was still quiet, the A-series engine fired first time, and the route ahead promised exactly what Drive It Day should be about: a good car, a good road and somewhere worth going.

From Bristol we headed towards Tetbury, then on through Cirencester, past Cotswold Airport and towards the Cotswolds. The route mixes narrow lanes, faster open roads, village bends and rougher patches of tarmac, so it was a good test for the Mini after its winter work.

She had been fitted with fresh gaskets, had her wheel geometry corrected, and was now running on Blockley 145R10 tyres and Koni Classic dampers. My wallet was lighter, but the Mini was better for it: fewer leaks, properly set-up wheels, more grip and far better control over bumps.

Bibury gave us a short stop by the river before we headed on towards Burford and the A40 to Oxford. The faster road was a useful test for the Mini, which felt steady, settled and easy enough to use over distance. From there, we turned north towards Bicester Motion.

By the time we reached Bicester Motion, the roads were full of classics heading to the same place: E-types, 911s, MGs, Bentleys and pre-war cars among them. The Spring Scramble is now one of the main events in the British classic-car calendar, held across the former RAF Bicester site, with its hangars, workshops, specialists and display areas.

The Mini was waved into a space on the main avenue, where it looked at home among much larger and more expensive cars. We stopped first for coffee at the Escapade lounge, then walked through the displays and workshops.

Every Scramble has its standout cars, and 2026 had plenty. The Encor Series 1, a carbon-fibre reworking of the Lotus Esprit, kept the familiar wedge shape while giving it a sharper, more modern finish. Two Singer Turbo DLS cars on the Top Gear stand drew a steady crowd, with the level of detail and engineering people now expect from Singer. Three Lamborghini Miuras were almost impossible to photograph because so many people had gathered around them. A display of classic and modern Maseratis added another strong line-up, from elegant 1960s GTs to newer performance cars. The free caps were also welcome in the increasingly strong spring sun.

Bring a Trailer, best known for its online classic and collector-car auctions, also had a strong line-up, led by a Porsche 356 Speedster that drew a constant crowd. It is easy to see why. Small, clean and beautifully proportioned, it is the sort of car people stop for even if they are not deep into Porsche history.

One of the highlights of any Scramble is exploring the workshops, and Kingbury Racing was celebrating a milestone: one hundred years of the historic buildings they occupy. Originally part of the RAF Bicester complex, these structures once housed aircraft assembly and maintenance during the Second World War. Walking through them today – past race prepared BMWs, historic touring cars and restorations in progress – you feel the continuity of engineering culture. Machines have always been built here. The tools may have changed but the spirit hasn’t.

By midday the crowds were swelling and the sun was high. We decided to round off the day with a short hop to Bicester Village, proof that a classic car can be both an object of passion and a practical companion. The Mini slipped into the car park with ease, its compact size once again proving its worth. Lunch, a bit of shopping, and then the drive home – a full family day out, made richer by the fact that we had done it in a 63-year-old car that felt utterly alive.

Mark G. Whitchurch is a seasoned motoring journalist whose work—covering road tests, launch reports, scenic drives, major races, and event reviews—has appeared in The Observer, Daily Telegraph, Bristol Evening Post, Classic & Sports Car Magazine, Mini Magazine, Classic Car Weekly, AutoCar Magazine, and the Western Daily Press, among others. He won the Tourism Malaysia Regional Travel Writer of the Year in 2003 and is a member of The Guild of Motoring Writers.

READ MORE: ‘Jenson Button, Freddie Hunt and Tom Kristensen headline star-studded Goodwood Members’ Meeting‘.  Former Formula One champions, Le Mans winners and touring car greats were among the big names at the 83rd Goodwood Members’ Meeting, reports Mark G. Whitchurch, with Jenson Button drawing one of the weekend’s biggest crowds in the Brawn that took him to the 2009 world title.

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_{Main image: Mark G. Whitchurch’s two daughters in the family’s 1963 Speedwell-tuned Mini Cooper during its Drive It Day run from Bristol to Bicester Motion. Credit: Mark G. Whitchurch}