835-miles, 21 Whoppers, 7 of the UK’s best performance manufacturers, 2-numpties and 1 epic road trip, it’s our Best of British Jubilee tour.
Steet parties, concerts, parades, and BBQs. Everyone has their own way of commemorating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and ours was to hit the road and celebrate the very best of British manufacturing by visiting some of the very finest brands Blighty has to offer.
We jumped in our iconic British MINI Clubman (yeah, we know it’s German but we also know they’re made in Oxford) and travelled up and down the country to get a behind the scenes look at what makes them leaders in their fields.
First stop was silicon hose giants Samco Sport in South Wales, where we sat down with Paul Hinder to discuss the history of Samco and how they make the finest, strongest and most-colourful performance hoses in the world.
Next on the FC hit list was engineering supremos Forge Motorsport, who were formed in 1996 after a demand for aftermarket actuators appeared. Today they make everything from brake lines to FMICs for a huge range of cars. After Forge we jumped in the car and made the short journey to Oxfordshire and Helix Autosport.
Helix manufacture some of the best performance clutches across the globe, and this is testified by their rich racing heritage. Whether you need a clutch for a 1930s Bentley or a Hyundai i30N, these are the people you need to call, as they make everything in house and to your exact specification.
If you’re more into car care, then our next port of call is for you as we dropped in and sat down with Robert Earl, the Managing Director of GTECHNIQ. The Northampton-based outfit make some of the best detailing products available but are perhaps most famous for their market-leading ceramic coatings. They’re so good F1 and WRC teams use them to help keep marbles and dirt from sticking to their race cars.
The next journey was the shortest on our trip as we popped up the road to EBC’s world headquarters in Northampton. EBC need no introduction as they make the biggest range of brake pads on the planet, and not just for cars but for mountain bikes, go-karts and even trains. It doesn’t just stop there, no pun intended, as they also manufacture big brake kits, brake fluid and of course brake discs.
The penultimate stop was a journey up the M1 and to Nottingham to have a look around Scorpion Redpower’s factory and sit down with CEO, Managing Director, and founder Shaun. Scorpion was founded back in 1992 when Shaun discovered a need for aftermarket exhausts for the hot hatch market. 20-years on, they’re one of the most-respected exhaust makers in the world and are heavily involved with some of the biggest race teams in the UK.
Our final leg was a trip down to Essex and to one of the longest-running aftermarket wheel makers in the world. We are of course referring to Wolfrace Wheels, who were founded back in 1971, just think back then Elizabeth II hadn’t even celebrated her Silver Jubilee! Wolfrace have some iconic products to their name including the Slot Mag that can be seen on James Bond’s white Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me. Today they have a huge range of wheels available for almost every scene imaginable including the vibrant transporter market and are even delving into the vehicle enhancement sector.
To find out more about all these great British companies, make yourself a brew, grab a scone and watch the above video. God save our gracious scene!
