Jensen what? Therein lies the problem. The Jensen-Healey is one of those cars that misses the radar of most classic car enthusiasts. If and when anyone does think about it, outside of the Jensen Owners Club, it's likely to involve the word 'disaster.' This is a car, though, that should have been as ubiquitous as the MGB, another capable British two seater. Yet only 10,000 were built and most of those went to the USA. In this occasional series we try to rehabilitate the classic cars consigned to the dustbin of history. Unlike the Marina, TR7, Allegro and Skoda Estelle, which precede it, Jensen ..read more

At Great Driving Days we like to do classic car experiences a little differently. Like our 60 Minute Classic Tasters - low cost, inexpensive classic car driving that you simply can't do anywhere else. In this post we answer the question we commonly get asked about our Tasters, like why we created them, how they work and why you might want one. Q. What is a Classic Taster? A. Our Tasters are an introduction to classic cars. They're a chance to drive one or more cars for 60 minutes on a choice of 20 mile country routes. Unlike a track day experience you don't just get a couple of laps of a wind ..read more

If you think driving a great classic car might be a little of out of your budget, we have a pleasant surprise. With our Cyber Week Bargains you can get behind the wheel from just £35. Until Monday 5th December get 24% off any Cyber Week Bargain. To find out more CLICK HERE. Despite the low price there's no skimping on the experience. Every one of our experiences gives you at least 60 minutes driving in a choice of classics from the 1960s to 1990s, all on quiet country roads. Fuel, insurance and passengers are all included. Unlike a track day, every Great Driving Day experience gives you prop ..read more

On July 10th we'll be at Autofest in Stoke Prior, Worcestershire offering discounted drives in our Alfa Spider and Porsche Boxster and its all in aid of charity. For just £30 you can drive either car for 30 minutes and every penny goes to Onside Advocacy, a charity that supports people who can't advocate for themselves. We've supported this event for the last couple of years. Even if you don't plan to drive one of these two great cars it is well worth attending - friendly, relaxed and with a huge range of cars on display. The Alfa and Porsche experiences work just like our regular Classic Tas ..read more

At Great Driving Days one of our main priorities is vehicle reliability - if our cars are off the road or breakdown then we risk upsetting customers and, of course, they can't earn their keep. So we employ a full time mechanic and expend at least 30% of your hire cost on maintenance. Our 1965 Jaguar Mk2 is one of our most popular cars and, until recently, also one of our most reliable. But after its enforced lay-up during lockdown it has returned to the fleet with a succession of niggling problems. The car has been on our fleet for over 10 years. During lockdown we took the opportunity to res ..read more

Old cars stir deep passions. And nothing stirs old car owners quite like the definition of ‘classic.’ There shouldn’t really be any debate about what makes a car a classic because there is a legal definition. The Government defines historic vehicles as any motor over 40 years old, although most in the classic car community accept 25 years as the definition of classic status. The trouble with the 25 year rule is that, as you get older, time is like a rumpled carpet - it stretches out at the start when you're young, the older you get it bunches up and rushes by. So while 25 years ago seems like ..read more

Since we set up in business in 2006 we've tried to do classic car hire differently. Because doing as others do, we think, isn't much fun. Anyone can be a classic version of Hertz, it doesn't take much imagination. To really deliver an experience takes more work. Much more. Our classic driving experiences are just that: experiences that make memories. Here's how we do it. The First 60 Minutes Matters Our most popular experiences are built on a very simple idea: that the first 60 minutes in a classic are the most memorable and the most enjoyable. Just enough time to get to grips with the car ..read more

Our driving experiences are designed to make it as easy as possible to get behind the wheel of a classic - multiple ways to drive, priced to suit every budget. Now we've added new resources that make it easy to plan your drive too. Great Driving Days' new Plan Your Trip facility enables you to find somewhere local to stay, find out more about your driving experience and personalise it. There are also advice films on driving classic cars plus car-by-car guides explaining the controls and driving techniques for each car on our fleet. We've even added a huge range of frequently asked questions t ..read more

The Jaguar XK8 suffered a complicated and drawn out gestation yet became one of the firm's most successful models and a darling of Jaguar enthusiasts. It cleverly bridged Jaguar's past and future, combining strong echoes of the E Type with a very modern approach to the job of GT motoring. That's why Great Driving Days has a Jaguar XK8 to hire on its classic car hire fleet. Here's its story. In The Beginning The XK8's story starts with the car it was designed to replace, the XJS. Launched in 1975, by the late 1970s sales of this V12-powered GT car had dwindled to a trickle. Buyers didn't like ..read more

The Mk2 never really had a proper name, it was only built for a few short years and when it went out of production it was never replaced. And yet, from such inauspicious beginnings it has become an icon that has cast a shadow over Jaguar and the world of classic motoring ever since. As the photo above of our 1965 Jaguar Mk2 hire car suggests, the reason why is fairly simple. It looks amazing. Few saloon cars before or since have combined the Mk2's svelte lines with one of the greatest motoring interiors of all time. For those lucky enough to get behind the wheel, the Mk2 holds another surpri ..read more