If your love of supercars is equalled only by a love of international sportscar racing, then the annual London to Silverstone Supercar Tour will be your idea of heaven. Starting from St James’s Square, Pall Mall, after a hearty breakfast at the Royal Automobile Club, the drivers and passengers of 50 supercars will make their way out of London with the advantage of a Police motorcycle escort: a sort of low-emission congestion zone in reverse. Once you’ve been ushered through the Capital by a Police escort, in fact, you'll quickly come to realise that it’s the only way to travel.

Avoiding the motorways, the route to Silverstone will include coffee stops at Chalfont St Peter and Towcester racecourse, setting you up nicely for a few high-speed laps of the full Grand Prix circuit once you arrive. But this is no ordinary track day at Silverstone: it’s the official practice day of the only UK round of the FIA GT Championship, the ultimate international sportscar series. The winners of the weekend’s race will not only gain important points in the opening round of the Championship, they will also be awarded the Royal Automobile Club’s prestigious Tourist Trophy. This is one of the biggest events in Silverstone’s calendar.



While you enjoy your lunch and afternoon refreshments in Silverstone’s ‘Brooklands’ hospitality suite, you will be able to watch the Maserati MC12s, Corvettes, Saleens and the rest, battling it out on track for the best grid positions. Our money, though, is on the Aston Martin DBR9 of Gigawave MotorSport – the only UK-based team in the GT1 category (hence the Union Flag on the bonnet). It’s the team’s debut season but in this month’s first official test day at Monza, the Gigawave MotorSport DBR9 was second quickest overall… a pretty good start, straight out of the box, as they say.

To be part of the 2008 London to Silverstone Supercar Tour (assuming you have a car of the right calibre…), it costs a very reasonable £395 inc VAT per car. This covers the driver and one passenger. The price includes parking in St James’s Square, breakfast at the Royal Automobile Club, the Police escort, entry to Silverstone, laps of the circuit, lunch and refreshments. Judging by past years, it’s an excellent day out.

Contact Motion Works UK Limited on 01327 856 024, or [email protected]. You can also download pdfs that will tell you more about the event, as well as how to book.

Editor's Note: I have enjoyed this event from its inception. You can read about the 2006 and 2007 Supercar Tours elsewhere on Classic Driver. And yes, I will be back in 2008. Driving something orange...

Text: Charis Whitcombe
Photos: Classic Driver/Gigawave Motorsport