Reborn in Bicester Heritage

When Tomas de Vargas Machuca leapt from his burning 1914 LaFrance on the outskirts of Baku on the 2024 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, he didn’t realise then that the inferno was about to trigger another adventure! Whilst his navigator Ben Cussons tried in vain to extinguish the towering flames, Tomas quickly decided that he would try get back to the UK, grab another car, return and re-enter the rally, despite having both passports burned to a crisp!

Incredibly, he managed the complete seven-day return dash without passport, after fruitless battles at the UK passport office in London, he determined to carry on regardless. After a swift drive in his Lancia Delta Integrale to Vintage Bentley in Liss, West Sussex where boss William Medcalf had supported the last-minute option, Tomas jumped into his rapidly prepared 1926 ‘backup’ Bentley and headed to Dover. He convinced the Dover Customs and Immigration officials to let him board the Eurostar and then sped through France and on into Ancona, Italy. Amazingly, a slightly exhausted Tomas rejoined the 2024 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge in San Marino to finish the job and cross the finish line in Paris - solo.

In fact, Tomas covered the same distance he missed on the Baku to Ancona section of P2P, 4000 kms, but ensured in the dash from the UK to Italy that he took the hardest route possible in the spirit of P2P! He drove on B roads for the whole journey and every mountain pass on the route including Mont Blanc!

Fast forward to 2025 and Tomas de Vargas Machuca has decided to take on the Peking to Paris in May this year, attempting a new record by driving the whole way solo this time, choosing his same ‘backup’ Bentley which has now been transformed by the ‘Specialists’ at Bicester Heritage. It has become in his own words, “a true child of Bicester Heritage,” totally prepared for the rigours of the P2P 2025.

The story of YF 7602 and how it underwent its complete revamp into a vintage endurance rally machine is fascinating.

Tomas takes up the story of the Bentley 3/4½ and its inextricable links to Bicester Heritage; “I’m not sure how many other cars can qualify to be considered a true child of Bicester Heritage, because it’s not just about preparation but also on-site connections. The story of this car, prior to my ownership, was that it was owned by a gentleman who has a vested interest in Bicester Motion and who decided to sell the car. The car was originally up for sale with Pendine Historic Cars Ltd also on the Bicester site, so you have a business owner who is also co-owner of Blue Diamond Riley Services, also tenants, and whilst the car was for sale, it was stored at Historit, another tenant.

“Myself and HERO-ERA, further tenants, were enthused about the car and bought it. Already there were three businesses involved on site, Blue Diamond, Pendine and Historit. HERO-ERA was the fourth, and organiser of the Flying Scotsman Rally which I went to compete in driving the freshly acquired 1926 3/4½ Speed Bentley.

I took one of my dearest friends with me, a living legend navigating on her maiden rally voyage, the Canadian Patsy Kennedy Bolling! This remarkable person was not just born afloat and sailed the world, but in 1969 - 70 she crewed on Ted Turner’s ‘American Eagle’ in most of the races needed to win the 1972 World Ocean Racing Championship. Patsy, aboard American Eagle was the first woman to sail 12-meter racing yachts in demanding races off Newport, Rhode Island. She flew planes, she raced cars, including at Daytona Beach, but had never competed in a rally! Patsy has achieved major sporting success packed into her 82 adventurous years, which you can read about in her new book ‘Patsy’ by Roger Vaughan.*

Patsy had an absolute ball, and was thrilled by the rally experience. However, early next morning post rally, we were back on the move, motoring back from Scotland as quickly as possible. The Bentley effortlessly cruised at speed along the motorways to arrive back at Bicester Heritage just in time for the Royal visit by HRH Prince Michael of Kent. Patsy will always be part of this Bentley story and much more.”

Further demonstrating an incredible internal supply chain on Bicester Heritage, Tomas took the Bentley to Kingsbury Racing for a post rally re-prep, as the company had tended to the engine years before, it was the right choice given their expertise and experience, so Kingsbury Racing became Tomas’ supplier and Bentley restorer.

Tomas; “After I lost my LaFrance in Azerbaijan to the fire, I made the rapid round trip to the UK to take the Bentley and then drove back across Europe and down to Ancona to rejoin the rally. I finished the P2P in that car, so when I decided to do the 2025 P2P as well, I chose to compete in the Bentley.

“Now we needed full rally re-preparation, so I went back to Ewen Getley of Kingsbury Racing at Bicester Heritage who happily agreed to carry out the majority of what has since become the re-birth!”

Tomas took the car for a shakedown on the Sahara Challenge 2024 after it been re-engineered for the P2P, carrying out engine, gearbox, and transmission checks. At the same time Tomas’ wife Camelia Chenaf made a startling debut on the tough desert rally by navigating her husband to sixth place overall despite various dramas. These included having to spend the night in the desert after a breakdown and hitting a riverbed which damaged the radiator and cracked the chassis!

With the damaged Bentley back at Kingsbury Racing for the final P2P preparation, the body now had to come off for serious chassis repairs and strengthening. The 1926 Bentley 3/4½ Speed model had been upgraded to a 4 1/2 litre engine previously by Kingsbury, but now they were looking after all the engineering.

Tomas continued; “I also decided to bring the car back to its original layout, so cue more Bicester specialists to continue the ‘re-born in Bicester’ story. Auto - Historica recreated the original model based on pictures from the 1950s, including the Spitfire type windscreen which it had, not the three-litre car flat screen. Then I realised that for long distance rallies we needed an enlarged tank, so who better than the expert home gown Bicester Heritage based Vintage Car Radiator Company who made a 168-litre tank. They also ended up having to rebuild my radiator after damage hitting the riverbed on the Sahara Challenge.

“I've changed the colour of the car because that wasn't the original colour, green Bentleys were typically racing, this was not a racing Bentley. The car was born with unpolished bonnet, black and sloping wings, so I've put on cycle wings. I've got the original body and had the car repainted blue, the car is closer to the original car now than it's ever been since the 50s.

“Then we had all our aluminium bracketry expertly made by Ollie at Olliminium whist fellow Bicester Heritage Specialists, Harry Fraser Vehicle Upholstery, artistically refurbished the interior, including the upholstery and all the engravings on the car. Then the magnetos were restored by the on-site Magneto Company. So apart from the tyres and paint, this has been a major Bicester Heritage ‘in-house’ team rebuild.

“But we are not finished yet! There are the ancillaries, it’s insured by Howden who operate from in the main BH offices, so thanks to Marcus Atkinson and Angus Forsyth. We competed in all the UK events, such as the Flying Scotsman, sanctioned by Motorsport UK who are our next-door neighbours at Bicester Heritage!

“I put Coryton Sustain advanced biofuels in the car, they actually have a vending pump on site, the fuels are supplied at Bicester Heritage by Guy Lachlan, formerly called Classic Oils, but now part of his Motor Spirit Ltd company.

“Then, to add to that, technically speaking, when I bought the car, I engaged Hangar 136, that’s another tenant. All the cars they buy are subject to the carbon credits for offset via NET-HERO, which is another company based on site. All through the re-build process the specialists were fuelled by HEROICS Café situated right alongside Kingsbury Racing.

“If you add up all the invoices from all the companies, they show that more than 90% of the car was rebuilt on the Bicester Heritage site. So, it has been quite the rebirth, a real child of Bicester Heritage, but now the major challenge the Bentley has been rebuilt for, looms large, she is about to face her second coming on the 2025 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge!”