Project 55 – back in use, fresh paint to come
After a serious amount being laid out on re-building Project 55’s underside it’s been pressed back into daily use and …
Keeping an eye-out for these excellent little motoring books
The Special loves a large, well-researched motoring book: think Palawan, for example, where content is matched by design and presentation. …
Back to Scramble
The last Scramble of the year brought the curtain down on a trio of events that never cease to impress …
Project 55 returns – looks the same, but it’s vastly improved
Project 55’s back, MoT-tested and with an all-new floor. Karmarthen Kenny’s done a great job bringing the ploddy old blue-oval …
RAC and CC in Fourtrak trip double-header
As with last year’s Mentor outing it was a two-events trip for the Fourtrak, kicking off with the Royal Automobile …
No damp squibs in the Potteries as deluge fails to dampen Trentham classic spirits
If you’re familiar with Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s ‘Didn’t It Rain’ you might have an inkling just how wet it was …
First Line, first-class support
The Special’s not a great fan of the term ‘modern classic’, preferring ‘neo-classic’ instead. And at Special HQ there’s a …
The latest on The Special’s bookshelves
The Special’s motoring book collection is big enough to have caused a house move but our acquiring instincts mean the …
From 1:1 to 1:64 as Hot Wheels reimagined search kicks off
Here at the The Special we’ve been great lovers of Hot Wheels cars and we’re old enough to remember when …
Back to Bicester
The second Scramble of the year was much anticipated and much enjoyed: in other words, it continues to be a …
Will it ever be repeated?
The Special dropped off its 3.0-litre X-type at Swansea’s Mistermatic – its rare-enough Ultraviolet bodywork still turns heads, but seeing …
Back on the road after test pass
A year passes quickly and it certainly did for the Mentor, whose test came around much more quickly than The …
From South Australia to West Wales, via Surrey
For many years Mrs Special has liked nothing more than visiting antique shops and, what she refers to as ‘tat …
Toyota Hi-Lux Restoration – Part Three
More work has seen the ‘Lux look less ‘pulled-from-barn’ and more ‘it’s getting there’. A serious session with the pressure …
Scrap the Scrappage Scheme
Could the spectre of the scrappage scheme be rising from its slough of murky business-generating despond and become poised to …
Toyota Hi-Lux Restoration – Part Two
Progress was apparent when The Special dropped in on the Hi-Lux and its restoration: later that day the tub was …
Toyota Hi-Lux
The rugged Welsh countryside means farmers need equally rugged vehicles to carry out their business: Close to The Special’s HQ …
January Scramble kicks off Bicester Heritage’s 2024 dates
Christmas Day’s lunchtime table talk turned to the first 2024 Bicester Scramble and at Special HQ the anticipation grew as …
In search of the perfect smoke
At The Special’s head office an occasional foray into arduous work is rewarded by a decent cigar. But finding a …
Down Town
It’s not all lazin’ aroun’ at The Special HQ and trips to our local town centre are still a part …
Hot Wheels
If The Special doesn’t have enough ‘real’ motors it also has a MASSIVE collection of Hot Wheels cars going back …
The joy of rust
You’ve got to hand it to Ford in the 1990s and early 2000s – the blue oval certainly knew how …
Beach Disco
As the sun rose on a local beach The Special spotted a Land Rover Discovery in the distance, waiting for …
Does it get any better?
Does it get any better than the Bicester Scramble, and especially on a warm Autumn day? The Special’s attended the …