Guild Young Member Forum visits Aston Martin Works

In 2025 the Guild launched a Young Members’ Forum (YMF), a venture aiming to get Guild members under the age of 30 to talk all things motoring media (writes George Loveridge). 

Thus far, there are 15 members who have so far met officially twice; once via Zoom and more recently in Buckinghamshire at the headquarters of the prestigious Aston Martin Works (AMW). 

The aim of this gathering was to enable members of the YMF to meet in person, but it’s not always easy to get more than one motoring journalist in the same place at the same time! Thankfully, AMW was kind enough to host four YMF members for an exclusive tour of the facilities that are renowned worldwide. Moreover, a room was also provided for Guild Vice-Chair Richard Aucock to host a meeting with the members of the YMF. 

AMW is much more than a posh classic car garage. The site in Newport Pagnell became the home of Aston Martin in 1955 when Sir David Brown (the ‘DB’ in Aston Martin’s model names – Ed) acquired it. Today Aston Martin’s UK HQ is in Gaydon, but AMW still provides some of the best automotive services in the world – much more than just an MOT and a service for their customers. Boasting unrivalled levels of quality, the craftsmen, mechanics, trimmers, painters, panel beaters and painters offer the best of the best. 

During our visit three One-77s were in for work, and as our tour guide Scott Fisher remarked, that’s “just a regular Thursday here”. And the workshop was more like an operating theatre – every surface was gleaming, the idea being that the guys and girls working there have the best facilities. I wouldn’t have dared eat my lunch there, let alone complete an oil change. 

AMW is also very proud to offer a Heritage division, completely restoring cars. The YMF were lucky enough to see three DB5s being rebuilt from scratch, one of which was a rather gorgeous shooting brake. The technicians at AMW use the same English Wheel to bend aluminium panels that was used traditionally. 

We were told that it takes the team 2,000 hours to rebuild a DB5, which contrasts with the 20 hours Volkswagen takes to make a Polo. Guild snapper Jeff Bloxham joked that it takes less time to build the Polo because “it has a hole in the middle” – never change Jeff… 

After the YMF attendees had finished drooling over every imaginable Aston Martin, from DB2s to V12 Zagatos and Lagonda Wedges, they were able to speak their minds on motoring matters. The general opinion was that the YMF wishes to meet more frequently, and hopefully encourage more members under 30 to get involved. 

It was also emphasised that by no means does the YMF wish to isolate itself from the rest of the Guild, quite the opposite. But it was added; “The GOMW is great, but it can feel quite disconnected.” 

Other takeaways included a view that it is becoming increasingly harder to attain press cars, and, if you can, getting insured on one. More relaxed social events with the Guild would be welcome and the YMF would like to find ways to get more young aspiring writers and creators into the world of motorsport media. 

Finally a thank you to Aston Martin Works for hosting the YMF for a fascinating visit.

Photos: Jeff Bloxham

Michael Turner’s wheels go under the hammer

Three distinctive vehicles owned by Guild member and renowned motorsport artist Michael Turner are to be put up for auction following his passing in December at the age of 91.

The three will be part of the catalogue of the Bonhams Auction being held at the Goodwood Members Meeting on 19th April, with Michael’s 1939 Jaguar SS100 headlining the event with an estimate of between £225,000 and £275,000.

Michael owned the car for close to 70 years, using it as a daily driver for much of that period – Bonhams personnel believe this was likely the longest single ownership among any of the 116 3.5-litre SS100s originally manufactured. 

Before coming into Michael’s ownership the car had an extensive racing history, competing at Silverstone, Croft, Prescott and, fittingly, Goodwood. In fact after a major restoration in the late 1980s and 1990s, during which it acquired its dark blue livery, one of the earliest journeys Michael made in it was to the first Goodwood Revival in 1998. 

The second Turner car going under the hammer is a Jaguar 340/Mk2 4.2. It was built in 1968 as a Jaguar 340, but later fitted with the 4.2-litre Jaguar straight-six engine, as well as being cosmetically enhanced to Mk2 specification with lowered suspension, louvred bonnet and other improvements. It has no reserve and an estimated sale price of £7,000 to £12,000.

Also with no reserve, but expected to fetch between £12,000 and £16,000, is Michael’s third vehicle, a 1942 ex-military Ford GPW Jeep 4×4 Utility and trailer.

Tim Schofield, Head of UK Sales for Bonhams Cars, said he was very pleased to be offering Michael’s cars for sale, adding; “Bonhams has previously sold many of Michael’s paintings, and his Jaguar SS100 has previously raced on the Goodwood motor circuit where the Bonhams Cars Members’ Meeting sale takes place, both of which make this a fitting location for the sale of his precious cars.”

Details of the Goodwood event and other Bonhams sales can be found on the website.

Sue Baker honoured by National Motor Museum

Pioneering female motoring journalist, Top Gear presenter and former Guild Chair, the late Sue Baker has been commemorated with a blue plaque (writes Chris Adamson) – but it isn’t on the street where she was born or a house she lived in, instead it appears as part of a new £600,000 exhibition at the National Motor Museum.

‘Driven: Britain’s Motoring Story’ is a radical reinterpretation of the UK’s motoring heritage on the first floor of the New Forest museum and is the most significant up-grade to the popular tourist attraction since the purpose-built museum was opened in July 1972.

Dotted around the new display space, which is divided into five colour-coded time zones, are a series of ‘blue plaques’ that recognise unsung heroes of motoring, such as Nils Bohlin (1920-2002) the inventor of the three-point safety belt, rally driver Pat Moss and Rose Boland, Eileen Pullen, Vera Sime, Gwen Davis and Sheila Douglas – sewing machinists at Ford who led a strike that resulted in the 1970 Equal Pay Act.

The blue plaque honouring Sue is located in the section titled ‘Plugged In: New Journeys’, under the heading ‘The New Pioneering Era’ which looks at some of the most recent advances in automotive technology. It appears alongside the upturned chassis from a 2016 Tesla Model S P90D and looks down on Europe’s first 3D-printed electric vehicle, the 2020 Chameleon.

This location is almost immediately above the Guild’s own display unit on the ground floor of the museum and it is just across a short walk from a plaque that celebrates the life of another famous Guild member – Murray Walker.

Murray’s green plaque (featuring the Guild logo) is at the entrance to the museum’s dedicated motorcycle section which is based around the collection put together by Murray’s father, the noted motorcycle racer, Graham Walker.

Fresh push for Sisyphus

There is still room for Guild members thinking of taking part in this year’s successor to the traditional Guild Classic, the ‘Sisyphus Challenge’, to sign up for a day of fun, non-competitive hillclimbing at the famous old Shelsley Walsh venue in Worcestershire (writes John Griffiths).

The dates are Friday 8th to the morning of Monday 11th May and the event includes a day’s spectacular driving tour of the Malvern Hills and North Wales. 

If you don’t have a competition licence, a valid driving licence will do just fine. Motorsport UK will not demand that you don a race suit and all the other fireproof clobber – you’ll need a helmet and your arms must be covered and no shorts worn, but there the regulatory stuff ends. 

You can enter any car you like, you can take a helmeted passenger and you can go as fast or slow as you like. You will not be officially timed, nor are there prizes for fastest Time of the Day or similar.

It is an event in which the Guild is partnering with insurance group Hagerty, whose ‘fun hillclimb weekend’ has already become highly popular over the past several years – Guild members will be sharing their enjoyment alongside some truly spectacular GTs, single-seaters and other exotica. 

For the first time, the event is seeking to cater for two categories of entrant; traditional, long-standing participants in the Guild’s Euro Classics of old, and a less expensive alternative for younger or otherwise perhaps more financially-challenged members.

The Classic, previously the Guild’s main motoring event of the year, came to an end because of its relentlessly rising costs – on later events they reached well over £1,000. So the first, important, low-cost category is based on a three-night or two-night stay at a Premier Inn nearby to Shelsley Walsh, at a cost of £215 to £250 for a crew of two for three nights, or around £150 for a two-night option. It is up to individual crews whether they wish to apply for a driving entry to the hillclimb at a cost of £125, or to spectate at £15 per head.

If you opt for the low-cost category, Friday will comprise a scenic drive to your Shelsley Walsh hotel, meeting up with friends and colleagues for an informal evening. On Saturday morning, you will have a short drive to a second hotel to meet up with the second-category contingent for a joint departure on the full day’s scenic driving. 

At end-of-play, each contingent will return to their respective hotels for an informal evening’s dining/socialising. Then on Sunday morning, all will drive to Shelsley Walsh to enjoy the day’s activities, followed by a joint farewell function on Sunday evening. Please note that apart from the Premier Inn and hillclimb entry, all spending, including all meals, will be discretionary in this category.  

The second category will be limited to a maximum of 15 crews, with a start in the early afternoon of Friday at The Farmer’s Dog, the pub opened by Jeremy Clarkson and featured in his Clarkson’s Farm TV series. Providing he’s not dragged away for filming more “sheeps”, Jeremy hopes to be around to catch up with old lags, er, former colleagues. 

Then it will be on to the Brockencote Hall country hotel, 11 miles from Shelsley Walsh, for an informal evening. As with the low-cost category on Saturday morning there will be an all-crews departure for the driving day from Brockencote Hall before all convene at Shelsley Walsh on Sunday. For this category, the hotel fee for three nights, including breakfasts, will be around £500 per crew.

Please email your application for an entry form to John Griffiths.

Ferrari and Guild promote contest for novice motorsport photographers

Ferrari UK has unveiled a photography competition to promote emerging motorsport photography talent, that in the process will help the Guild Benevolent Fund.

Six carefully selected entrants will be invited to take part in a guided motorsport photography experience, hosted as part of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK event at Silverstone from 22nd-24th May. 

According to Ferrari the initiative reflects the Prancing Horse’s commitment to creativity and talent within the motorsport community, offering aspiring photographers the opportunity to gain professional experience within a live racing environment.

Each photographer will receive official media accreditation from Ferrari North Europe and will benefit from structured guidance, mentoring and practical support from experienced motorsport photographers during the race weekend. 

Each photographer will be asked to submit their best images from Friday and Saturday’s on-track action. The best of these images will be printed on to canvas and put on public display in The Wing at Silverstone on the Sunday, when they will be evaluated by a team of judges to decide an overall winner of the competition.

The victorious photographer will be invited to work as part of Ferrari UK’s photographic team at the Ferrari Finali Mondiali, held at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya from 19th-22nd November, with the winner’s images shared on the @FerrariUK Instagram account as part of the brand’s coverage of the event.

The winner will also receive one year’s complimentary membership to the Guild while the canvases showcased at Silverstone will be available to purchase, with all funds being donated to the Guild Benevolent Fund. 

To enter the competition, photographers must submit a portfolio of three motorsport images, accompanied by a 300-word written statement. Entry will be open to professional photographers looking to take a step forward in the motorsport arena.

The entry deadline is 7th April and full details can be found on the website.

Big Day Out 2026 grid filling up

More than half of the 60 available places at the Guild’s ever-popular annual track day on 15th April have now been taken up, reports John Griffiths, adding that prospective participants should not delay in getting their entries in.

With entry fees for the event at Castle Combe circuit in Wiltshire pegged yet again at just £75 for Guild members, £125 for invited guest drivers and £15 for on-track passengers, the ‘BDO’ continues to represent a major bargain when matched against all commercial track day operations.

These prices are being maintained despite the Guild unfortunately again seeking a prime sponsor for the event, stalwart supporter Simon Branney unable to convince his bosses at Geely Auto to back the Big Day Out. 

Better news is that our esteemed President, Nick Mason, will again be able to hold close-of-play tea at his nearby home, despite his many commitments overseas with his band Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets.

With great Guild friends and top-ranked drivers such as Mike Wilds happy to come along to provide on-track advice to those seeking to hone their circuit skills, it’s no surprise that Castle Combe is the most popular event on the Guild’s motoring calendar. 

Proceedings start with sign-on at 8.30am, with breakfast available in the excellent café. If you plan to arrive the afternoon before, the paddock will be open for motorhomes/cars/trailers until 6pm for overnight stayers. There is a range of hotels and prices within a 10-mile driving distance.

You can book your place by downloading the entry form here and emailing it to John Griffiths. If you have any queries give John a call on 07767 301223.

Invitation renewed to RAC Concours 2026

The Royal Automobile Club has announced that its Club Concours will return this summer after the success of the inaugural event last year – and Guild members are among the invitees.

The 2026 Concours will be held at the club’s Woodcote Park estate, near Epsom in Surrey, on Wednesday 8th July. A select group of car clubs and motoring organisations are being invited to join the club in celebrating motoring excellence. 

According to the RAC this year’s Concours categories span the full breadth of motoring history; “from elegant, picnic-perfect estates to pristine historic race machines, with mascots and spoilers certain to capture the imagination of both guests and our expert judges – the cars and motorcycles competing for top honours will create a truly unique and dazzling display”.

Ticket bookings can be made directly with the Royal Automobile Club here – to secure tickets, members need to select ‘Guests of invited clubs’ on the tickets page and enter a dedicated club code which can be obtained by emailing General Secretary Melissa Chadderton.

London to get new motor show

Yet more show news; in the most recent edition of News Briefs published on 14th February we reported on plans for a new Motorsport Expo at the ExCel Centre in London on 26th-28th February next year – now it has been revealed that a general motor show will take place at the same venue, on the same dates.

The event, taking the name of the London International Motor Show, will, according to organisers, bring together leading manufacturers, cutting-edge technology and thousands of visitors for a major celebration of the industry’s past, present and future.

Visitors are promised a traditional motor show experience enhanced by modern, interactive features. The show will feature the latest models from major brands, new technologies, live demonstrations and test drive opportunities.

The 2027 edition will place particular focus on the industry’s transition from internal combustion engines to hybrid and fully-electric vehicles. Exhibitors will showcase the newest hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric models, alongside innovations in software, connectivity and mobility services.

The show organisers say that a combined format placing the event alongside Motorsport Expo (which they are already calling the UK’s largest motorsport exhibition) and Car Culture UK,  focused on modified and aftermarket vehicles, will significantly increase overall attendance and broaden the demographic reach, attracting enthusiasts, families, fleet buyers and industry professionals.

More details, including exhibitor announcements and ticket information, will be released in the coming months and published on the show website. The media contact is Event Director Stephen Maitland-Oxley.

Guild authors take centre stage at Race Retro 2026

Guild members were out in force at the annual Race Retro historic motorsport show, held at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry on 20th-22nd February, with two of our authors spending time on the venue stage being interviewed about their new works.

Jon Saltinstall described his recently published book Lella Lombardi – The Tigress of Turin, a biography of the Italian driver who competed in 17 Grand Prix and in 1975 became the first and so far only woman to finish an F1 World Championship race in the points.

Meanwhile Guild committee member John Brooks found himself uncharacteristically in the limelight with his new book Le Mans 2000-09: The Official History of the World’s Greatest Motor Race. 

The show again proved a major success, no doubt benefiting from the traditional season-opening motorsport show, Autosport International, not taking place this year. There were more stands and an increase in attendees, this year’s visitors numbering close to 25,000.

As well as the indoor car displays, trade stands and a packed auction, Saturday and Sunday saw live action with a rally stage in the grounds of Stoneleigh Park.

The 2027 Race Retro show is set to take place on 19th-21st February, exactly a week before the new Motorsport Expo event in London described in the last issue of News Briefs.

Jon Saltinstall (above) was suitably interrogated by fellow Guild member Guy Loveridge and resident host Chaz Draycott, while John Brooks paused from signing copies of his new book for a photo with Rebecca Leppard of promoter Eventageous PR. Photos: Michael Stokes and Simon Hildrew

Fancy tackling a hillclimb?

Who fancies taking the Sisyphus Challenge? The Guild’s 2026 driving tour is going uphill all the way (writes John Griffiths).

The dates are Friday 8th May to the morning of Monday 11th May. Yes, that is unusually early for the Guild’s traditional touring event but there is a reason for it. We’re going hillclimbing – at Shelsley Walsh, said to be the oldest unchanged motorsport venue in the world (Don’t press the panic button yet, for the weekend has much more in store…)

If you don’t have a competition licence, a valid driving licence will do just fine –  Motorsport UK will not demand that you don a race suit and all the other fireproof clobber as if you’ve got a starring role in the Backdraft movie remake. Yes, you’ll need a helmet and your arms must be covered and no shorts worn, but there the regulatory stuff ends.

You can enter any car you like. You can take a helmeted passenger. You can go as fast as you like or, if you really must, take it easy all the way to the top. You will not be officially timed, nor are there prizes for FTD (fastest time of the day) or similar. 

For this is a fun hillclimb weekend – to be precise, it is the hugely popular Hagerty Hillclimb and this year the Guild will be partnering with the multinational insurance group in sharing the enjoyment alongside some truly spectacular GTs, single-seaters and other exotica.

On the three-day event and prior to Guild members’ Sunday on-track action, there will be a start option on the Friday for some of Jeremy Clarkson’s former colleagues at his pub, The Farmer’s Dog, followed by a full Saturday for hopefully up to 30 crews on scenic and challenging drives through the Malvern Hills around Shelsley Walsh and the approaches towards Snowdonia, with stop-off visits to be announced.

For the first time, the event is seeking to cater to two categories of entrants: Remember that the once-traditional annual ‘Euro Classic’ driving tour, the Guild’s main motoring event of the year, came to an end because of its relentlessly rising costs – on the later events the climbed well over £1,000. It had become unaffordable to far too many Guild members, not least our younger members – who are, let’s face it, both the Guild’s and Hagerty’s futures.

The first, important, lower-cost category is aimed at the younger or otherwise more financially-challenged. It is based on a two or three-night stay at a Premier Inn nearby to Shelsley Walsh, at a cost of £215-£250 for a crew of two over three nights, or around £150 for a two­-night option.

It is up to individual crews whether they wish to apply for a driving entry to the hillclimb at a standard cost of £125 (although entry fees are under discussion with Hagerty), or to spectate or passenger with other Guild members at £15 per head.

If you opt for this category, your Friday will comprise a scenic drive to your Shelsley Walsh hotel, meeting up with friends and colleagues for an informal evening. On Saturday morning, you will have a short drive to a second hotel to meet up with the second-category contingent for a joint departure on the full day’s scenic driving. At end-of-play, each contingent returns to their respective hotels for an informal evening’s dining/socialising.

Those taking the two-night option can either forego Friday evening and drive straight to Saturday’s driving day departure or drive home after the hillclimb ends on Sunday afternoon.

Please note that apart from Premier Inn stay and hillclimb entry, in this category all spending, including all meals, will be discretionary. 

The second category is aimed at widening members’ shared experience by appealing to traditional ‘Classic’ loyalists and those who wish to enjoy a more formal (not to say more expensive) three-days of Sisyphus, hopefully without too much pushing (classics or otherwise) on the hill or elsewhere.

This category will be limited to a maximum of 15 crews, 10 of which have already signed up, with a start in early afternoon at The Farmer’s Dog. Providing he’s not dragged away to film more sheep, Jeremy hopes to be around to catch up with old lags, er, former colleagues. Then it will be on to the Brockencote Hall country hotel, 11 miles from Shelsley Walsh, for an informal evening.

On Saturday morning there will be an all-crews departure for the driving day from Brockencote Hall. On Sunday, all convene at Shelsley Walsh, requiring those driving the hill in time for mandatory drivers’ briefing (details to follow later). We are currently exploring whether a joint farewell evening might be held at Brockencote Hall. 

For this category, the hotel fee for three nights including breakfasts will be around £500 per crew. It’s an elegant country hotel in 70 acres and worth a Google. An alternative option to include dinner on all three nights at around £40 a head per night is in the offing.

During Sunday expect at least three, and up to five, hillclimb starts, leaving plenty of time to explore Shelsley’s lovely old buildings, a great bar (0.0% Peroni on ice cold draught plus huge choice of all the sinful) and a great cafe/restaurant.

During the day – time and location to be confirmed – a couple of informal briefings will be held. One will be from Hagerty, to give a teach-in on the motivations behind its multi-faceted foray into the world of motoring enthusiasts via its drivers club – the Bicester centre, the events programme and not least the magazine – which should be of interest to Guild journalists. 

The other will be a welcome from a principal of Shelsley Walsh, which has been around, as Autosport’s Marcus Pye once put it, “since Big Ben was a wristwatch” – it’s spent a century blending into the woodwork. What an opportunity to shed light on the challenges being faced by motor sport, Shelsley itself and the nature of, and drivers behind, its relationships with the wider world. 

So that’s the Sisyphus Challenge in a biggish nutshell. This has been a difficult event to organise and taken rather than longer than planned, but should be hugely enjoyable for all. Please email your request for an entry now to John Griffiths. If you have further questions I can be reached on 07767 301223. Don’t hang about – there will be a combined entry of 30 crews, 15 in each category. 

  • For those Guild members who don’t know their Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a god condemned to forever push a boulder up a hill, only to see it roll down again…