I popped by the British field car meeting this afternoon to see the annual gathering of British cars at the VanDusen Botanical gardens, Vancouver B.C. Canada. It is a remarkable gathering of keen auto enthusiasts who come out to share their passion and their automobiles. The show truly has something for everyone, from pre World-War II Bentley’s, right up to the latest McLaren 675LT. It is fascinating to walk through automotive history and design. A particular design favorite of mine is the Jaguar E Type produced between 1961 and 1975. The E-Type ushered in the era of performance sports cars with a 150 mph and a sub-7 second 0-60 time, monocoque construction, disc brakes, and unrivaled looks. Enzo Ferrari, was quoted saying, “the E-type as “the most beautiful car ever mad.” I lusted over a burgundy E Type coupe for several minutes losing myself in the elegant flowing lines. Beautiful as I find many of these cars I do not yearn for them in the same way as I do for modern sports cars. I remember driving a Jensen Interceptor a few years for a feature film, the ride was less than enjoyable and as for the gearbox the less said the better. I am not a car tinkerer or tuner. I don’t change my own oil –if I had a car, that is– nor do I want to, all I really want to do is to drive these amazing machines.

Jaguar E Type

Jaguar E Type

image

My star of the show was McLaren Automotive who had four cars present to feast upon. It is remarkable how far McLaren has come in the span of 5 years since becoming an auto manufacturer. McLaren’s first foray into the automotive world produced the iconic F1, a three seat layout with a mighty BMW V12 and outstanding performance. Sadly, they only produced 106 in total, only 64 of those are road going versions. I was fortunate to see my first F1 at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angles in March of this year. It did not disappoint after viewing it in magazines and videos for twenty odd years. Following the F1, McLaren entered into a partnership with Mercedes which produced the McLaren SLR, a car neither company was truly happy with. In 2011 McLaren returned to the Automotive world this time as a fully fledged and independent manufacturer. The first car was the MP4-12C, shortened mercifully to the 12C. I have driven two 12C’s over the past 2 years though not for long distances. I instantly fell for this magnificent machine. Power delivery through its twin clutch 7speed gearbox was seamless, enabling me to rocket onto the Sea to Sky highway on-ramp. It has the best size steering wheel I have ever driven, fits my hands like a glove or as its designer Frank Stephenson confirmed to me, “the racing gloves of one Lewis Hamilton.” The 12C served merely as the starting point for an automotive explosion of performance which culminated in the P1; the successor to the F1 and one of the new breed of Hypercar. This small ‘Hypercar’ collection includes the Porsche 918, the LaFerrari, and the Koenigsegg Regera, all of which combine petrol engines with electric components producing state of the art hybrids that take automotive technology into the future. Vancouver possesses four or possibly five McLaren P1’s and I have been lucky enough to see them all. I am still looking to get my first ride and drive in a P1. While the P1 is the apex of the McLaren models, this technology has seeped into the successor to the 12C, namely the 650S and the 675, both examples were at the British field meet. Seems I have thing for red as the McLaren that got my heart yearning was a 12C in Volcano red. I want to drive a 650S so very badly, my road of choice would be Duffy Lake Road then continuing down the Fraser Valley and blasting my way through the 7 tunnels that dot the route. I am working on getting a 650 for a road test, fingers crossed. Unsatisfied with developing just the 12C and 650 McLaren recently introduced a new junior model called the 570. Such is the rapid rate of technology development that the 570 performance matches that of the iconic F1. Where will McLaren go? well talk is of an all-electric successor to the P1. Having the opportunity to regularly drive a Tesla P85D whose sonic acceleration is so intoxicating I almost forget that supercars exist. If McLaren can produce that level of acceleration, then I will be first in line to drool over not being able to afford one.

McLaren 650, 12C, 675LT

McLaren 650, 12C, 675LT

McLaren 675LT

McLaren 675LT

McLaren 12C

McLaren 12C

Witnessing the passion, and enthusiasm of the participants and visitors alike I can see why the British field car meet is celebrating its thirsty first year of existence. It is a place to learn about the history of British motor cars; owners are more than willing to regale one with tales of automotive adventures from all over the globe. I cherish the fact that these cars are loved, cared for and most of all driven on the roads where they belong. Vancouver is a richer town for hosting the British Field Car Meeting.