9 things for a car fan to do after lockdown

1 Visit a car museum

Some of the first motoring experiences expected to open as lockdown eases are motor museums. The distance between the cars and the layout of the displays make it easy to introduce one-way traffic and social distancing. So, take the opportunity to visit one of the UKs great motoring museums, after all, when did you last go?

Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford is one of our favourites. The team at Haynes confirmed they have created one-way systems in the museum, installed plenty of sanitation stations and ensured the whole visit can be done while you are socially distanced.  They are planning on opening in October as they have used the enforced closure to bring forward some maintenance work which will see a new 500 space car park created and two exciting new displays dedicated to Williams and Ferrari F1. Hunt down your local museum for some socially distanced petrol hedonism. 

2 Get your car detailed

With lockdown easing there are plenty of cars slowly but surely being dusted off (literally) and taken out for a drive for the first time in weeks. Sitting unused and forgotten on the drive is not good for a modern car, leather can become dry, needing to be fed and cleaned and bird droppings and dust can cause havoc with modern paint.

If you aren’t minded to do this yourself, why not get a professional in to do the job for you. Absolute Detailing explained  “There are no doubt going to be lots of cars needing various levels of paint correction to remove bird dropping etching, tree sap etching and other damage caused from where these cars have been sat untouched in forecourts, carports and on drives over the past two months”

Using a detailer ensures that best practice is used to bring your car back to new. This not only adds value to your car, but also makes you feel a bit better about driving it. After all, who wants to drive around in a filthy dustbox? Patrick Merryweather from Absolute detailing expects details from around the country to be busy following lockdown and advises people to book as soon as possibly or risk a wait. If you don’t know what detailing entails, check out the Absolute detailing website here.

3 Learn to drive: properly!

Ever wanted to drive like they do on TV? One of the UK’s best known Stunt Drivers, Paul Swift offers you the chance to attempt all the stunts you’ve seen in the movies with one to one instruction with him & his team. Paul is working on ensuring that the lessons will be as safe and socially responsible as possible. The cars will all be disinfected and the instructor will wear PPE.

If you don’t know the name, Paul & his team have been performing at Motorshows around the world since the 1990’s, including the 3 previous British Motor Shows & the Top Gear Live World Tour. Paul has won 7 British Autotest Championships and is a regular competitor in Stage Rallies with his Mk2 Escort.  Paul offers precission driving lessons throughout the UK and will be delierring them at The Cars & Christmas show in November too. Who doesn’t want to come out of lockdown with newly honed drifting skills? For more information visit www.StuntDriving.co.uk

4 Go to a car show… of course!

The calendar for car lovers has been decimated due to Covid 19 and it’s unlikely that any large scale events will be taking place in the near future. That doesn’t stop you booking up your calendar for next year though. The British Motor Show Cars & Christmas is likely to be one of the first and only larger shows in 2020. So, get your tickets now for a fill of live automotive fun and a huge marketplace to get you petrolhead kicks.

If you can’t wait, some of the local “meets” are likely to be starting up in August, so check out social media for a local event near to you and meet some new car buddies.

5  Go on a roadtrip

We all love a roadtrip. You can’t get much more isolated and it will only cost you as much fuel as you want to use. Choose a destination with something interesting to see or do, or just get in the car and go for a drive. Keep away from the motorways and big A roads and you’ll miss the traffic. The roads are quieter than normal, but we’re still seeing jams in the normal places, so fire up the nav and tell it to just use B roads!

6 Book a track day

Some venues are already opening their track day sessions for booking. A track day is not only a lot of fun, its also very easy to social distance as you will be doing it on your own, in your own car.

Whether you have an old Golf or a new Boxster, everyone should try a track day once. There are tracks throughout the country and you can book one from about £100. If you have never tried one before, they are just about as much fun as you will ever have in your car and you will always be sharing it with a mixed friendly bunch. It doesn’t matter if you are Damon or Daisy Hill, give a track day a try.

7 Buy a new car

If you’ve been thinking about a new car, now is the time to buy. You might have a little extra cash in the bank as a result of not going out much recently, or maybe you don’t like the idea of using public transport.

After a 2 month enforced lockdown car dealers are now open and desperate to get selling again. New cars are going to be particularly good value, especially if you are happy to buy something that’s already built and ready to be delivered. Used car specialists Imperial Cars are currently offering buy now pay later on all cars, offering their customers a three month payment break on their finance agreements before they need to start paying. 

8 Watch motorsport

We’ve all been subjected to over two months of box-sets, repeats or soaps with no motorsport to watch. The good news is that motorsport is starting to get ready to go go go again. Martin Braybrook, Owner of Carerra cup team “Brookspeed” confirmed that the team are testing this weekend at Donnington, with a view to resuming racing at the same track on the 2nd August. Its likely that most races will start with no live crowd, but we expect some of the smaller tracks to start allowing customers in, offering plenty of space to socially distance. In the meantime, expect motorsport back on your screens very soon.  

9 MOT & service your car

Not the most exciting thing we know, but although a lot of cars will have done little or no mileage over the last few months, it’s worth keeping up your servicing to protect is value and reliability. Some items continue to perish even if the car isn’t used and you shoud be especially wary of rusted brake discs when you first use your car. Although you might have an MOT exemption, get your car MOT’d as soon as you can. There is likely to be a backlog when garages fully open.