Your favourite classic hire cars of 2012

2012 was our busiest year ever for classic car hire, despite some inclement weather damping summer spirits.  The wet weather may have distorted this year's list of the most popular cars chosen by our customers but even some perennially popular convertibles remain favourites even in the rain.
So here is our list of the most popular cars based on number of hires.  A few familiar faces, one or two surprises.....  It's in no particular order.

1. Jaguar E Type coupe 

Usually it's our convertibles that grab the hire headlines but this year it was the turn of our coupe hard tops.  Perhaps helped by the weather, the iconic fastback shape seems to have caught the imagination again, apparently fuelled by the E Type's 50th anniversary in 2011.  We now have two E Type coupes available for hire, one in Yorkshire and one in the Cotswolds.  We also have four E Type convertibles available for hire in Devon, Yorkshire, Cotswolds and now London too.  Whichever you choose they are still as good to drive as they look.

2. Alfa Romeo Spider

One of my own favourite cars and consistently one of the most popular available for hire.  We've had this car on the fleet from day one and, as well as being popular, it is always the most reliable.  Not bad for an Italian car.  The Alfa is perfect for a day or weekend away - or a longer holiday tour, as happened several times in 2012.

3. DeLorean

You might not want to take a DeLorean on a European touring holiday - you wouldn't get far with all those clamouring photo-opp fans - but it is the ideal car for a wedding, or just to save you have.  Both of those reasons explain why our DeLorean is in the list of our top 5 most popular cars in 2012.  It only joined the fleet in 2012 but has shown that 30 years after it went out of production it has become an icon for any child of the 80s.  We love it, but we have heard every Back to the Future joke and script line already, in case you wondered...

4. Aston Martin DB6

Like the DeLorean, the Aston proves the power of film on our collective conscious. Without Bond would the Aston be quite so feted?  Actually, we think so.  It is the DeLorean of its era - exotic styling, rarity and sheer four-wheeled presence make the Aston Martin DB6 (who cares if Bond drove a DB5) one of those cars that draws gasps of appreciation even from the uninitiated.  In 2012 once again it proved to be on of our most popular cars being used for weddings, special birthday celebrations, TV productions and even touring holidays. And why not.

5. Morris Minor Convertible

In its own way, the humble Moggy is the E Type for the masses.  Distinctive, enduring and with oodles of character, everyone needs to experience a Morris Minor at some point in their driving career. Sure it's slow and simple but that's its charm - we call them the Time Travellers because they fit you right back into an era when things moved a little more slowly.  And all the better for it.  To demonstrate how popular they are, we have 3 Morris Minor convertibles for hire, plus a rather nice 'woody' Morris Minor Traveller.

So roll on 2013. If you want to hire any of these cars or another car from our fleet of 80 classic and supercars, just call us on 01527 893733 or email info@greatescapecars.co.uk.  For more information on the cars visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk.

Read more

A classic day out for just £199

Our 2013 Driving Days are proving to be our most popular ever, with just a few places left on our 5 rallies from our Yorkshire and Cotswolds sites. To fill up the final spaces we're giving away 10 of them at the rock bottom price of just £199 each.

Your £199 buys you a day to remember with Great Escape Classic Car Hire. Every Driving Day is limited to no more than 16 people and everyone gets to drive at least 5 different classic cars over a minimum 100 mile route. There are regular stops for car changeovers and refreshments, including a country pub lunch. The price includes insurance, fuel and lunch.



The Great Escape Driving Days are perfect for classic car fans and can also be enjoyed by non-driving partners and friends. We offer a special discount place for guests who don't drive of £150, which includes lunch and refreshments.

When you book your £199 classic car Driving Day we provide you with a voucher valid for 12 months entitling you to attend one of the rallies. Just check the schedule, decide which one you want to go on and call us to book in. We recommend early booking to avoid disappointment. You can view our calendar of 2013 rallies here.



Our classic car driving day rallies are one of the most popular parts of our calendar. They are run from our Yorkshire site in Harrogate and our Cotswolds site near Stratford Upon Avon.  We developed them for individual customers after providing large scale events for corporate clients. The Driving Days follow a similar format and are carefully planned and managed to ensure you get the best out of the day. To read some testimonials and reviews on our Driving Days, click here.

For more details or to book visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk or call 01527 893733.

Read more

Now make your getaway in Wiltshire too

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has added an 11th site to its network of classic car hire locations across the UK.  The new base in Trowbridge, Wiltshire is part of Great Escape's Owner Operated Network, which enables customers to hire classic cars directly from the owners as well as Great Escape's partners.

The new Wiltshire sports car hire location improves Great Escape Cars' presence in the South West, where it recently set up a base in Exeter, Devon.  While the Devon site will boncentrate on classic cars from the 1960s, 70s and 80s the Wiltshire site specialises in more modern 'youngtimer' classics like Mercedes SLK and Porsche Boxster, two cars that are perfect for a weekend getaway.

Great Escape has been growing its network of local classic car hire sites in order to bring the hire of classic cars closer to customers.  This means that they spend less time and money travelling when they hire one of the cars.

The new cars can be booked directly via Great Escape and complement the company's existing range of classic and sports cars for hire.  There are over 80 specialist cars available to hire from Great Escape including classics, sports cars and modern supercars.  You can find out more by visiting http:/www.greatescapecars.co.uk or call 01527 893733.

Read more

We're giving away £50 this Christmas

Well it makes perfect sense to us.  We've brainstormed it and cogitated upon it and here at Great Escape Classic Car Hire we've agreed that giving away £50 to all of our customers for 7 days is the right and proper thing to do.  So we are.
From now until Christmas Eve when you spend £150 or more with us we'll pay the first £50 of your bill.  No strings, no catches.  So when you buy a Christmas gift package from us for £150 you'll only pay £100.  Frankly, it's free money.

This special offer is our best ever deal and applies to any purchase made online or by phone before 5pm on 24th December 2012.  It covers every Christmas gift experience and package available to buy through our online gift shop including driving days, rallies, gift experiences and classic car hire vouchers.  There are no catches - you pay the special reduced price but get the same product.
Great Escape Classic Car Hire has a fleet of over 60 classic, sports and supercars for hire across the UK including everything from classic Morris Minors to modern Aston Martins and Ferraris.  The cars are available to hire from 10 locations including large sites in Devon, Cotswolds and Yorkshire.
You can find out more and claim your £50 discount code by visiting http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk or call 01527 893733. Offer ends 24th December 2012 at 5pm.

Read more

Save £99 on Jaguar E Type hire, 7 days only

For its busiest week of the year Great Escape Classic Car Hire is offering you its best ever deal.  We’ve lopped £99 off the price of our E Type convertible gift vouchers.  Now you can drive away the Jaguar that classic car fans drool over for just £250 (normal price £349). 

This offer is only available for 7 days until 17th December. When it’s gone, it’s gone.  You can book online using discount code etype99 or call  01527 893733 to redeem it.

For £250 you get the same full hire package as we normally offer.  That includes 24 hours use, 200 miles per day allowance, comprehensive insurance for 1 driver and full UK breakdown cover.  Your gift voucher is valid for 12 months and you can even choose the start date.  When you’re ready to drive, just call us and we’ll book you in.

You can also use this offer to book specific dates during 2013.  You can book online or call  01527 893733 to book by phone.

We have three Jaguar E Type convertibles for hire from our sites in Devon (near Exeter), Yorkshire (Harrogate) and the Cotswolds (near Stratford).  Each car is fitted with the classic V12 5.3 litre engine matched to a manual gearbox – perfect for cruising the idyllic countryside on the doorstep of each of our sites.  To view our E Type convertible fleet click on Classic Cars at the top of the page and follow the links. Your discount E Type gift voucher will be valid to use against any of these 3 cars.

To grab your E Type convertible bargain for just £250 call  01527 893733or buy a voucher online.  Just use discount code etype99.

If you don’t fancy our E Type offer or you’ve already driven one, we have a lot more Christmas gift ideas.  As well as hire of our fleet of 60 classic cars we also offer driving day experiences and gift packages.  To visit our online shop, click here. (link to Shop page).  We’re offering 10% off the rest of our range until 25th December.  To grab your saving just use discount code '10' online or call  01527 893733.  (10% not available to be used in conjunction with E Type offer).

View external link

Read more

Our Christmas guarantee: one price, no hidden extras

We know that there are a multitude of ways in which online retailers try to bump up their margins.  They call them delivery charges, administration fees, booking fee, processing fee, any one of a number of fancy names.  We call them a rip off. Whatever you buy from Great Escape Classic Car Hire this Christmas we guarantee that the price you see advertised is the full price you pay.  And nothing more.

Our philosophy here at Great Escape Classic Car Hire is pretty simple.  We want you to enjoy what we enjoy, which is our classic cars.  We believe in honesty and fairness and hidden charges just don't fit into that approach.  We don't even charge card processing fees.  The only extra that appears anywhere on our price list is if you want to add additional drivers to your hire.  When you buy online the price you see already includes VAT and delivery where applicable.

When you choose to hire a classic car from us we make the package you get clear and transparent.  For each car we list the price, the location, the mileage allowance and the insurance excess.  We also include a Frequently Asked Questions page, full description of our Terms and Conditions (in normal, easy to read type size) and an explanation of our Insurance Excess and Insurance cover.  

"We charge one comprehensive price for each gift package and each car," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape.  "We think that is the fairest and most transparent way to work with customers.  

"It seems to have become standard practice online for retailers to advertise a low headline price and then bump up the cost through delivery charges, VAT and processing fees.  I don't see why our customers should pay extra for us to process their booking or book not knowing that the price excludes VAT.

"We not only advertise the full price you pay but we have also kept our prices the same for 24 continuous months.  So in real terms, the price now is cheaper than it's ever been."

Great Escape is the UK's largest and busiest classic car hire company with a fleet of 60 cars available to hire from 9 locations.  You can find out more by visiting http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk or call  01527 893733.   

View external link

Read more

Christmas made easy for classic car fans (and their friends)

If you, or someone you know, loves classic cars then we may just created a soothing balm to your Christmas Gift Anxiety.  There are now four simple ways to put yourself (or, again, someone you love) in the driving seat of one of Great Escape's classic cars, which cover everything from a Morris Minor to an Aston Martin.
You no longer need to simply select a car and hire it for 24hrs, 48 hrs or longer.  While that option is still available, Great Escape Classic Car Hire has launched three other options.  Now you can buy a voucher for a particular price band of car - which gives the recipient access to any car up to and including that price band from any of Great Escape's 9 UK locations.  And they never need to know how much you spent.  Alternatively you can buy a gift voucher for a particular amount and leave them to choose how they spend it - they can use it to hire one car, two cars or top it up and hire a more expensive classic car.  It is completely flexible.
The final option is proving to be the most popular of Great Escape's Christmas gift ideas.  Through the company's new online shop you can choose from a range of classic car driving experiences, driving days and weekend packages.  Each one is fully explained on the site and can be bought online or by calling Great Escape six days a week on 01527 893733. Great Escape guarantees delivery by Christmas on all gifts purchased by Friday 21st December.  Buying driving experiences direct from Great Escape means that you avoid the middle man's mark up and get a much better value package as a result.
Great Escape Classic Car Hire gives you the largest choice of classic cars to hire from one source - the fleet includes over 60 cars available to hire from 9 UK locations including Devon, Cotswolds and Yorkshire.  Prices start at just £95 and are fully comprehensive - no hidden charges, no booking fees, no administration fees.  You just pay the price you see advertised.
You can find out more about Great Escape Classic Car Hire by visiting http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk call 01527 893733 or email info@greatescapecars.co.uk.

Read more