WestSide VW show 2022
Welcome to pictures and review from this years Westside 2022 for PVW Magazine
2022 will certainly be a year that so many people remember for all the things that have happened good or bad. Saying that as a United Kingdom I think we have had the proverbial kicked out of us over the last few years.
Very recently with the death of our beloved Queen, change of prime minister, and the war in Ukraine, it’s taken a heavy toll on people’s feelings and taken a hefty chunk out of our pockets.
Now that the Pandemic is well sort of over, restrictions relaxed and people are allowed out again, it has taught us all that friends and family are a stay in our lives.
With that said I have the tune from “cheers” the American comedy about a bar where the lyrics say…
“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came.
You want to be where you can see, our troubles are all the same, you want to be where everybody knows your name”… That’s exactly what Westside provide !!
For me, it’s one of the stars in my calendar that I try my best not to miss. Held at the Chalfont St Peters Cricket Club, Buckinghamshire it’s central for most people in the South of the country and it’s only an hour and ten minutes for me up the M4 corridor.
From a working perspective (photographer) it’s a bloody nightmare because every time I stop and take a picture, I bump into someone who I haven’t seen in either a year and this is where we get to catch up on what’s been going on in our lives or I get to see friends that I haven’t seen in years. A ten-minute chat can turn into 40 minutes.
Checking the weather over the few days leading up to the show it promised to be a sunny day, and it certainly delivered. British weather at its best, sunny blue skies but at the same time no so hot that it made you uncomfortable.
I arrived just before nine in the morning, excited to see the Westside lads again and to also see the quality of the metal on display. Already at that time, we had to queue, and the cricket ground was packed.
Guaranteed at this show there is the highest of standards and the variety of cars mainly German, with the odd bit of rice cake and some ooh la la (French cars if you don’t get the reference) to give some spice. High-end Lambo’s Bentleys and Porsches all graced the show. There was a good mix of old-school Mercedes mixed in with more modern BMWs.
There was a good attendance of Caddies, but I think the most popular where the old school Golfs ranging from the stunning Mk1’s, MK2’ a large selection of MK3’s now getting harder to find and of course, the MK4’s had a large presence, including me in my MK4 wagon. MK5’s, some pretty sorted MK6’s, 7’s, and 7.5 were also showing a strong attendance.
Catering this year was on point with burgers and BBQ chicken on offer, and even though there was a large attendance at the show I didn’t see large queue for each of the different caterers, showing their efficiency for the hungry crowds.
I just have to add that the in-house catering by the Westside guys did furnish the show ground air with spicy smells of dishes, and on more than one occasion I would salivate passing their “Kargo“(pot of chicken, onions & spices).
With so much to see and so many people to catch up with the day flew by, before I knew it the time was ticking on for four in the afternoon and the trophies were being given out. Time to depart before the onslaught of heavily modifies cars would once again start to filter onto the roads of the surrounding area.
Thank you Westside for a fantastic day, a relaxed atmosphere, and the chance to catch up with friends.
Until next year…
Scott.
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Salon Privé 2022 - Blenheim Palace
My favorite large-scale, high-end show of the year and they planned not to disappoint. This year Salon Prive they were hosting the Ferrari 75th Anniversary Class, a star attraction at its Concours d’Elégance presented by Aviva.
‘There have been many concours events in the past where rare Ferraris have been on display,’ said Salon Privé’s chairman, Andrew Bagley. ‘Blenheim Palace’s South Lawn, Salon Privé audiences will see a truly extraordinary collection of unique and ground-breaking Maranello cars – more than half of which with the prized Classiche certification - that defies comparison.’
WEDNESDAY - PRESS DAY:
This year would be different for me, on Wednesday the 31st was “press day” and I attended with all the other Media and Togs and we would get to see the reveal of so many special machines and have the chance to get up and close with the cars and the designers and production teams. On “press day” there are no visitors just us…
Wednesday was rather hot, so I decided to chance wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I packed trousers and a shirt in the car just in case but the staff at the event were nonjudgmental and didn’t seem to mind as I was working.
Sitting down in the marquee where the staff would welcome us for the day, we were offered coffee and Croissants. After the briefing, the PR Director and her staff would set out the day for us and what could be expected.
Wednesday Highlights:
An opportunity to witness manufacturers World, European and UK debuts
Plus, see the Salon Privé Concours d’Elégance featuring more than 100 cars
The Platinum Collection – a specially curated display of cars from the past 70 years, brought together for the first time in honour of The Queen’s Jubilee (RIP your Majesty )
Prodrive Legends feature that will celebrate the British company with a line-up of rally cars, racing cars such as the Ferrari 550 GTS and Aston Martin Vantage GT4, and the new Prodrive Hunter – the world’s first all-terrain hypercar.
The Apricale represents a revolution. It is the only hypercar to provide a zero-emissions powertrain in a car whose weight is the same as a petrol-powered equivalent – and half that of some battery-electric equivalents
After seeing the unveiling of the Viritech Apricale, we wandered over to the New Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster The Texas-built Venom F5 Roadster is a new rival to the Koenigsegg Regera and the Bugatti Chiron SuperSport. The guys on the stand confirmed that cowboy boots and hats were not part of the upgrade package.
2022 CLASS WINNERS:
BEST OF SHOW WINNER
Ferrari 250 GT TdF Berlinetta by Zagato
Year: 1956
Coachbuilder: Zagato
BEST OF SHOW RUNNER-UP
Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B Mille Miglia Cabriolet by Graber
Year: 1938
Coachbuilder: Graber
BEST OF SHOW THIRD PLACE
Bentley 8 Litre Saloon by Freestone & Webb
Year: 1931
Coachbuilder: Freestone & Webb
PEOPLE'S CHOICE
Lorraine Dietrich 130HP ‘Course’
Year: 1907
Coachbuilder: Lorraine Dietrich
CHURCHILL CUP FOR MOST EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN
Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sports Coupé by Freestone & Webb
Year: 1933
Coachbuilder: Freestone & Webb
Full listings can be found here:
https://www.salonpriveconcours.com/about-concours-delegance/past-winners/
Sunday 4th September 2022 - Drivers Union
Another early start but this time with The Drivers Union.
Quote “A supercar club Founded in 2012 and with over 1,000 supercar-owning members, the Drivers Union is the largest and most exclusive multi-marque supercar club in the UK. Membership is open to owners of Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Pagani, and selected models from other supercar marques. We organise coffee mornings and group drive-outs, supercar lunches, dealer visits, discounts on services, and much more”.
I was invited along as one of their club photographers by Syeed Ali its founder and overall lovely gentleman. The day is well organised with members displaying their cars in the grounds of Blenheim palace, food was on offer for members and guests, and for those participating in the day, there were trophies on offer for the members.
The weather held out with blue skies and warm weather. The general public took great delight in viewing the cars on display and I got to meet up with other photographers and was invited onto the roof of the palace for a very special vantage point.
BTCC qualifying at Thruxton 27th August 2022
Getting an invite to Thruxton race circuit for the qualifying of the BTCC is always welcomed. A good friend of mine has promised me for a few months that we can get access to the paddock as well as meeting some of the drivers, so with that in mind, the car was packed early on a Saturday morning, and off we went.
Many years ago I use to watch the BTCC relentlessly but have lost touch over the last decade due to family life etc… The experience starts with the smell of petrol, the screeching of tires, and the roar of these fantastic machines.
One advantage of going with my friend Danny is that his daughter Daisey is also a massive fan. This makes getting the driver’s pictures and signatures far easier, not many will turn down giving a signature and a picture to a thirteen-year-old girl.
We parked up and headed for the paddock. 1st stop was to see Jason Plato at Rich Energy BTC Racing, partnering with Josh Cook and Jade Edwards in a Honda Civic Type R. Josh Cook claimed his tenth BTCC career victory at Thruxton as the Rich Energy BTC Racing star ended a challenging mid-season run on a high at his favorite circuit.
I am a huge fan of Porsche cars, so it was great to be able to see the track-ready Porsches in the paddocks but obviously not taking part in the BTCC.
We had a good look at the APEC RACING WITH BEAVIS MORGAN. Managed to get a few pictures. Not a massive BMW fan but it was nice to observe CAR GODS WITH CICELEY MOTORSPORT
After running around the paddock for a while we headed out to the track. The weather was scorching and with no shade, it was pretty difficult to get comfy. Saying that it must have been so hot for the drivers in their racing gear, helmets, and heat given off by the cars.
All in all a great day, with good friends. Let’s now see if I can get a photography gig at this venue in the future.
Regards
Scott
Full race results of round 24 of the 2022 British Touring Car Championship from Thruxton.
1 Josh Cook Rich Energy BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R
2 Colin Turkington Team BMW BMW 330e M Sport
3 Stephen Jelley Team BMW BMW 330e M Sport
4 Rory Butcher Toyota Gazoo Racing UK Toyota Corolla
5 Ashley Sutton Napa Racing UK Ford Focus ST
6 Daniel Rowbottom Halfords Racing with Cataclean Honda Civic Type R
7 Tom Ingram EXCELR8 Motorsport Hyundai I30N
8 Michael Crees CarStore with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra
9 Gordon Shedden Halfords Racing with Cataclean Honda Civic Type R
10 Dan Cammish NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus ST
11 Dan Lloyd EXCELR8 Motorsport Hyundai I30N
12 Jake Hill ROKiT MB Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport
13 Ricky Collard Toyota Gazoo Racing UK Toyota Corolla
14 Ollie Jackson Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan Ford Focus ST
15 Jack Butel EXCELR8 Motorsport Hyundai I30N
16 Tom Chilton EXCELR8 Motorsport Hyundai I30N
17 Ash Hand Car Store with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra
18 Aron Taylor-Smith Yazoo with Safuu.com Racing Cupra Leon
19 Dexter Patterson Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50
20 Tom Oliphant Team HARD Cupra Leon
21 Jade Edwards Rich Energy BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R
22 Rick Parfitt Team HARD Infiniti Q50
23 Bobby Thompson Yazoo with Safuu.com Racing Cupra Leon
23 Adam Morgan Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport
25 Jason Plato Rich Energy BTC RacingHonda Civic Type R
26 Aiden Moffat Laser Tools RacingInfiniti Q50
27 Nicolas Hamilton Yazoo with Safuu.com Racing Cupra Leon
28 George Gamble Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport
29 Sam Osborne Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan Ford Focus ST
Jade Edwards with Josh Cook before qualifying
Tim Harvey BTCC legendary racing driver
Jack Butel giving his signature to Daisy.
GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED 2022
The last weekend of June and Goodwood Festival of Speed is here. Not that I had planned to go, but a friend of mine text me a week before to say he had a spare ticket for Friday 24th June, and would I be interested. Bears and woods spring to mind…
Now I haven’t been in quite some time, so the opportunity to break out the camera, without having to work and just wander around taking pictures of the cars I like.
Signer has just released their Turbo study, and along with most Porsche fans, I have wanted to get a close look at their new vehicle, but more on that later.
After a hectic journey down, lots of traffic, not helped by a rail strike, I arrived just about on time after a 05:30hrs start to the day. Clearing security (car park M), we came across the Jaguar F types drifting on a secure piece of track. It would have been rude not to poke our noses in and have a look, there is a video just below.
It was early so after a quick bacon and egg bap for breakfast courtesy of the in-show catering, we wandered past the BMW stand knowing that with would be pretty much packed even at this time of the morning with visitors wanting to put eyes on the new M3 Touring.
Instagram: @fosgoodwood
Facebook: Festival of Speed
YouTube: GoodwoodRRC
The last weekend of June and Goodwood Festival of Speed is here. Not that I had planned to go, but a friend of mine text me a week before to say he had a spare ticket for Friday 24th June, and would I be interested. Bears and woods spring to mind…
Now I haven’t been to Goodwood Festival of Speed in quite some time, so the opportunity to break out the camera, without having to work and just wander around taking pictures of the cars I like was an opportunity not to be missed…
Singer has just released their Turbo study, and along with most Porsche fans, I have wanted to get a close look at their new vehicle, but more on that later.
After a hectic journey down, lots of traffic, not helped by a rail strike, I arrived just about on time after a 05:30hrs start to the day. Clearing security (car park M), we came across the Jaguar F types drifting on a secure piece of track. It would have been rude not to poke our noses in and have a look, there is a video just below.
It was early so after a quick bacon and egg bap for breakfast courtesy of the in-show catering, we wandered past the BMW stand knowing that with would be pretty much packed even at this time of the morning with visitors wanting to put eyes on the new M3 Touring.
BMW celebrates 50 years of their highly sort after M series of cars, and what better way to celebrate it than at one of the world’s most prestigious motoring events.
Walking towards the hill climb and past the Bugatti stand, we were greeted by the Red Bull Lexus absolutely haring up the track with its rear tyres alight. The sound on this machine was awesome and with its green exposed carbon fibre it looks as mean as it sounded.
Drifting a Jaguar F Type…
After watching a few more runs by various cars going up the hill we decided to hit the pit area. Crossing the Goodwood bridge that you see in all the pictures you could hear, feel, taste, and smell the cars as they passed at speed underneath giving all of your senses a first-hand experience.
ASSEMBLY & PADDOCK:
The pit area is fantastic to be fair… Such an array of different machinery to be observed, sometimes allowed to touch these icons of the sport, and there are more than enough people within the pit area to answer any questions you may have. One thing you do find in the pit area is the checking of engines before going on the hill climb, which obviously means starting them and reviving them. At times we had to come away from the areas because we would be choking on the fumes of some of these beasts.
It was nice to see this Mercedes being prepped
Aston Martin’s Bulldog was getting a lot of attention in the pits
This Redbull Racing drift car was an absolute monster
NEXT:
So now that we had filled our eyes at the pits area from vintage track racers, new F1 racing cars, drift cars, and just about everything noisy smelly, and fast, it was time to grab a coffee soak in the atmosphere and then have a wander around the car park (Performance Parking West).
There were a lot of lovely machines parked in this area. A collection of cars belonged to the YouTuber Tim Burton - professionally as Shmee150 (you can tell by the number plates). Seen were his AMG Black series, Aston Martin GT8, Ford GT & AMG GT Black Series.
A few other cars I spotted while in the area… a VERY clean Lamborghini Gallardo in black with silver alloys and it just looked fresh and quite understated. I found a rather lovely Porsche GT3 in red, a load of McLarens in various colours, many more Porsches, a fair few Ferraris, and just countless lovely pieces of machinery. One thing you can say about Goodwood Festival of Speed is the amount of expensive cars and opulence on show for the public to come and view is staggering.
McLAREN HOUSE:
After our coffee break and a sit down we then headed towards Goodwood house, but first, it was time to have a look at the McLaren’s and to have a look at the Artura. As with a lot of the high-end motors they are on display stands where there is no chance of getting close to it for viewing or obtaining close-up, high-end pictures of details.
GOODWOOD HOUSE:
Wandering around the side of Goodwood house and then coming into sight is the main sculpture. The sculpture pays homage to five decades of the division and showcases some of its most iconic models of BMW’s M class.
Frank van Meel, CEO of BMW M said: “As BMW M, we feel honoured to play a very special role at this year's Festival of Speed. For our 50th anniversary, we couldn't imagine a better place to celebrate our products with fans of the brand. I am particularly looking forward to unveiling a certain vehicle to the world’s public for the first time - a vehicle we have been waiting a long time for”.
The Duke of Richmond said: “We are delighted to be celebrating 50 years of BMW’s hugely successful Motorsport division at this year’s Festival of Speed, and it is especially fitting as we prepare to honour ‘The Innovators - Masterminds of Motorsport’. BMW M’s success can of course be attributed to half a century of innovation and we look forward to honouring the marque’s past, present and future achievements at Goodwood in June.”
An overview of Goodwood house and the crowds taken from their live streaming for 2022
All the vehicles that are on display on the sculpture are genuine vehicles (these are not fibre-glass models) although before being displayed on the plinth all of their fluids were drained and the engines have been removed.
You’ll be able to get a first look at BMW’s upcoming M Hybrid V8 LMDh endurance racer. This is the very first time it’s been shown in the flesh and although it’s upside down you can get a good look at the celebratory ‘50 years of M’ camouflage. It is accompanied by the glorious V12 LMR, the aforementioned 3.0 CSL, an M1 Procar, and Jörg Müller’s old 3 Series WTCC racer.
A little bit of history about the Sculpture - It has been in place in front of The Earl of March’s house since 1997 and was designed by artist and designer Gerry Judah.
CARTIER STYLE ET LUXE:
Next, we visited the “Cartier Style et Luxe” area. We were greeted by a gaggle of McLaren F1’s from the XP4 experimental car to Rowan Atkinson F1 which was unfortunately in an accident. These cars do not get written off and the insurance company paid out over £900’000 to have his car put back on the road.
Being spoilt with so many stunning examples we then ventured further down in the area to be greeted by a stunning Ferrari F40, F50, an Enzo, La Ferrari, and a 288 GTO to mention but a few…
Singer Vehicle Design really shouldn’t need any introduction if you have even the slightest interest in cars. Their new release to the public is the 911 Turbo or as they call it the Singer Turbo Study. I have been itching to see this car in the flesh since it was announced and I have no shame in saying I am an absolute fanboy. YouTube has a lot to answer for in keeping me locked in and going down many rabbit holes with anything slightly “backdated” or “reimagined”.
The stand was swamped by people and Photographers, and it was hard to get anywhere near the car. It wasn’t placed on the stand as it had been destined for the hill climb, so space around the car to get pictures was difficult, to say the least.
Sitting in the drivers seat Dario Franchitti
CATHEDRAL PADDOCK:
We wandered down to Cathedral Paddock to check out the endurance and Rally cars. There were all sorts there from the Redbull Dakar Rally pickup trucks, to Peugeot 3008 Decar Rally Cars, Ford group B Rally car RS 1700T, RS200, Metro 6R4’s, Citron Zara , Citrion ZX Dacar, Subaru impretsa, etc.
START LINE:
Before going to grab some food we decided that the next destination would be the start line. As you can imagine it wasn’t too long before we were getting covered in tyre smoke, breathing in the noxious fumes, and having our ears battered by the sound of screaming 4 cylinders units, flat 6s, V6’s, V8’s, V10’s (I do love a sound of a Lamborghini on full chat), V12’s and V16’s. The EV’s were impressive with their speed but the ones we saw unfortunately lacked any drama.
Although saying that (and I have to eat my own words here) McMurtry Automotive Speirling fan car broke both official and unofficial hillclimb records on Sunday driven by Ex-Formula 1 and IndyCar driver Max Chilton
Officially, the history books had Nick Heidfeld down as the true record holder courtesy of his famous 1999 run in the McLaren MP4/13 F1 machine that buzzed the line at 41.6s.
Unofficially, however, Romain Dumas had been the fastest driver up the famous 1.1-mile route aboard the Pikes Peak-winning Volkswagen ID.R - he eventually posted a 39.9s effort. However, Dumas’ run in the ID.R, which was tuned specifically for Goodwood, was set in the Saturday qualifying session and not in the officially recognised Sunday shootout climax.
Regardless, Chilton has surpassed both benchmarks thanks to a remarkable and definitive 39.08s charge in the astonishing McMurtry, which instantly deploys 2000kg of downforce from a fan.
Watch the video below courtesy of Goodwood Road & Racing
As you can see we were pretty close to the start line… The bloke in the picture is not me by the way lol
This beautiful Singer was on the hill climb and it just sounded amazing going through the gears up the hill. The car sounds better and better and as the noise reverberated off the wall at the top of the hill… no words can describe how good it sounded.
You may be wondering what racing car drivers were at Goodwood Festival of Speed this year? Follow the link for an article by Ben Miles who breaks down the drivers by category and gives a bit of an insight into who the drivers are. LINK
Food was next… We had walked and talked, gasped in amazement at the fantasicle machines on display, but the primal urge for a burger and chips with a nice pint of larger was getting stronger by the moment. Refreshed and somewhat lighter of a few guinea’s it was time to go soak up what was on offer with the exhibitors, then we visited the Electric Avenue, FOS Future Labs, and taking in a what is the future and Electric.
One car company that did catch my eye was the Polestar concept cars. The Polestar O2 is described as “taking the design language established with Polestar Precept further, creating a new premium performance paradigm as an all-electric roadster. A unique two-door convertible concept that merges art with technology. Remove the roof to experience pure performance, without the noise”.
So with the Festival of Speed done… Almost, it would have been rude not to pop into the Porsche stand on the way out… But now I was truly shattered, the weather had been great, the organisers had thrilled us and it was time to take the next part of the day in my stride by heading home with a camera full of pictures, a belly full of food but most of all memories that I will cherish until the same time next year.
Thank you all for coming and reading my blog and looking at my pictures.
Take care…
Scott.
Simply Porsche - Beaulieu 2022
Jubilee weekend was here, and like many I took the entire week off. The time to step back a little and relax with the long weekend fast approaching.
The Jubilee celebrations I attended were fantastic, an organised event in the little town of Mortimer where there was fair, a stage with bands and most of all, lots of beer tents all finished off with fireworks and the renditions of God Save the Queen”. What a fantastic end to an extra special and extended weekend….
…but wait there was still something special to do on the Sunday, and that was to go and experience my first Simply Porsche at Beaulieu. Not only was I attending the event, but I would be taking pictures for “The Independent Porsche Enthusiasts club”.
Sunday morning came, the cameras were packed and me and a friend (James) grabbed a quick cup of coffee before venturing out into the dull and gloomy weather. The run down to Beaulieu would take an hour and there was hope that the weather would break and stay dry for the show.
As we got to the New Forest we started to see the odd Porsche here and there, but as we got closer the pronounced roar of a flat six engine was heard time and time again, the excitement of what to expect started to build and our enthusiasm for what lay head started to grow.
Arriving at the show, the weather had improved so the need for an umbrella or raincoat was thankfully not needed although filtering with the other cars in a Skoda Superb, we did have the odd funny look, but as we approached the entrance and showed the gate staff our wrist bands, they were very polite and helpful in guiding us through the gates and giving us directions of where to park up.
Now, I am not a Porsche owner, and it has taken me an age to come around to all of my friend’s way of thinking about the beloved Porsches we were there to see, and once you emerge into the sights, the sounds, and the smell of all things Porsche, I was like a kid in a sweet shop.
First things first though… we made contact with Andy Harris, found the TIPEC Gazebo where we were greeted by smiles and warmth along with another cup of lovely coffee and some very special shortbread biscuits. Briefing done, and it was time to explore with camera in hand.
The various clubs and stands all had lots of lovely owners who were willing to chat about their cars, everyone I spoke to were pleasant and welcoming. As a photographer I try and get the best angles for my pictures, sometimes I have to get up close to the cars for detailed shots and owners were very encouraging when asked if I could get that little bit closer to their pride and joy.
The out-and-out quality and care of these machines is only replicated by the enthusiasm of their owners. Coming from the VW scene of 30 odd years to a more mature and sophisticated atmosphere was encouraging. It was nice to see the odd “hoonigan” every now and again though on either starting their engines or on the road trip on our way back home.
The variety at Simply Porsche of old verses new, verses petrol verses electric, there was so much to see. I am a real sucker for the old Porsche 356 and there were quite a few at this event.
A stunning baby blue one on the main parade into Beaulieu on chrome Fuchs alloys, then further along on the back row near the ruins a dark red or wine coloured one that caught my eye. The lady owner was extremely proud of her car and expressed how she had tried to keep the little Porsche as original and authentic as possible.
Moving back slightly through the rear fields, lots of EV’s and 992 touring’s were out for all to admire. Quite large compared to their older generations, but still brought admiring looks from other owners and attendees.
Moving further back we came upon what could only be one of the best-looking cars at the show, a black 356 straight out of what looked like the first top gun movie. The car was flawless, the paint deep, the leather sumptuous and the chrome as bright as any I have ever seen. It was quite hard to get a clear spot to get pictures of this beauty as it was attracting so much attention.
Moving through the rest of the hordes of 991’s, 996’s GT2’s, GT3’s, Carrera’s and Carrera-S’s there was just so much to see and take pictures of.
I do have to give a quick shout-out to another older Gentleman driver (yes a 356 owner in silver) who kept me talking well over 30 minutes of his adventures of him in his many cars and rally’s that he had been on.
Once the work had been completed it was time for a little downtime, where James and I visited the museum, had a good old look at the “no time to die” cars, some that were in quite a bad state from the film to be fair. It was lovely to revisit the museum after a good absence, seeing new and familiar cars that were seen in my childhood, my youth and now… well let’s just say my more mature years.
The World of Top Gear, was as popular as ever showing the cars that Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond used during their time on the show, although now they were in the company of the newer generation of custom racing tractor and 4x4 ice cream van.
Time had come where members and attendees were leaving, thanks were given to those on the TIPEC stand and we joined the queue to exit. The drive home was quite spirited with windows down listening to the endless burble of flat-six engines that just made the hairs on the back of your head stand on end…
Until next time…
Edited using photoshop for a more dramatic look from the original image
Edited using photoshop for a more dramatic look from the original image
GRAN TURISMO SEVEN (GT7)
So the “big don” of console SIM racing has finally been released.
Gran Turismo 7 is a 2022 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is the eighth mainline installment in the Gran Turismo series. Wikipedia
Initial release date: 4 March 2022
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Genres: Sim racing, Sports Video Game, Vehicle simulation game
For those who think that you are going to download the game and get straight into racing like the previous version of GT Sport, just like me, you have a very frustrating and long slog to get your licenses before you are allowed to start competing and getting anywhere within the game itself.
Although I am not a “gamer” I have been completely hooked by the previous version of the game. I am told this 25th-anniversary edition offers much the same as the original game did way back in 1997. Back in those days I would not have thought there were many rigs ( a car cockpit frame with a seat and designed shelving to put your steering wheel and pedals). Those who were playing the game back then, they would have been using a controller… not something I am very good at using to be fair.
Now my experience with this game comes on the back of playing GT sport for the past year. The game play has been on PS4 and when the time is right I will go forward and upgrade to a PS5.
With the limitations of the PS4 compared to the PS5, and although this is a new game with so many new features, it does feel like quite an expensive update when playing on the PS4. I am sure when I move over to PS5 the whole beauty of the game will be realised. The much anticipated car-collecting campaign mode returns after its absence in Gran Turismo Sport, this is likely to frustrate early adopters of the previous games as it’s surprisingly different this time around. Instead of in the previous titles where more freedom vehicle-purchasing was granted, your route through the early part of GT7 is tightly controlled and punctuated with educational mini-lectures on significant or enduring aspects of car culture.
Earning money within GT7 is quite arduous through the gift roulettes. It’s quite ironic that the most desirable cars are extremely expensive and often only fleetingly available as the in-game markets shift.
Despite my annoyance with the above statement, the actual gameplay is very rewarding. Once you start on your journey time passes by very quickly. On the day of release, I spent 6 hours in my rig trying to achieve my licenses and unlocking layers to allow me to get to the much sort after multiplayer option.
The Cafe is the central point where you visit and meet Luca. Luca is the character who will give you your mission via a “menu book’. The menu book can ask you to collect a group of three cars or ask you to participate in a race or several. Once you have completed these tasks within the GT7 world, you come back and present your completed task to Luca and you are then given rewards or another part of the game is unlocked.
Once you return with collections of cars a very fluffy history lesson is given regarding the cars that you collect. For the most part keep pressing the next button and you can then move through the game a little quicker. GT7 is looking to be a game with a huge amount of longevity for those wanting to put in the time and effort. Fair warning to say that this will consume huge amounts of your time, so plan your time well, you may have to give your better half your credit card to get her or him out of the way while you continue your passage through the GT7 world.
It will be interesting to see if GT7 will have the cult following that GT sport managed to achieve with its lobbies and teams of online racers enjoying the spirit of all things motorsport.
Here are a couple of links to some of the best on Youtube
TIDGNEY
THE KIE 25
SUPER GT
BOOSTED MEDIA
gameplay from GT7 by me (morganvw1)
Thank you for coming to visit my blog regarding GT7.
If you enjoyed the article please give it a like, it really helps get it out there on the internet. Until next time, see you on the racing line…
Scott