WE CAUGHT UP WITH TOM HOWARD AKA THE GENTLEMAN RACER.
We met up with Tom earlier this year after seeing some of the things he had been posting out on Social Media. We were impressed how active he was on his journeys whilst snapping various beautiful cars. We had to spread the word on The Gentleman Racer and his antics - here goes...
Howdy Tom! How did The Gentleman Racer come about and why?
There was a gap in the market for somebody to combine a passion for fashion, travel and motorcars and create a World of these through social media. Initially this was a twitter account that complemented my personal blog (@TR_Howard) but the more interaction I received, the quicker the brand grew. The emphasis was on the finer things - Race inspired timepieces, Classic cars and fine dining on a road rally through Italy. These are elements that embellish my daily life, and I wanted to share my experiences with like-minded followers.
We always see you online taking snaps of all sorts of cars. If you had to submit 3 favourite pictures which ones would they be and why?
Jeep gave me the keys to a Grand Cherokee SRT, and I wanted to take it somewhere that would showcase the ruggedly refined nature of the model. The New Forest seemed the only logical place and sunrise the right time. The way the light strews in through the trees against the frost-laden ground made for a great photo with the SRT.
Secondly, it’s not hard to take a bad photo of the Audi R8 V10 Spyder as it’s such a good looking car, and this one is no exception. On a country drive in the Cotswolds late last year I passed a farmer harvesting crops in a barn. The dust and low light made a great contrast against the Dynamite Red and Gloss black exterior of the 10 Cylinder Supercar. The resulting photo was born of luck and timing.
Finally, bringing the new Twin-Turbo Ferrari 488 to Bicester Heritage to meet the last iteration of forced induction Ferrari V8 - the mighty F40. Finished in a gorgeous shade of Blu Corsa, I dragged a colleague of mine and his identical 488 Spider to arrive in style to obtain the photo of the year!
Now you’ve chosen the three pictures what about cars themselves? If you had to choose one for the track, one for a long drive and a curve-ball car, what would they be? The track car is easy. Nothing has lapped Silverstone with myself at the wheel faster than the McLaren 675LT. It’s a truly accomplished track car and besides the hypercar generation, nothing comes close. A long drive means a Grand Tour to The Gentleman Racer, and nothing says Grand Tour like Aston Martin. The DB11 was given to me for a long weekend recently and I fell in love with the effortless nature of the Twin-Turbo V12 in their most dynamic model yet. I really didn’t want to like the DB11 as it was such a departure from heritage, but I fell deeply in love with the charismatic, tuneful V12 and plush surroundings. A curve ball car would be one that’s on my bucket list to drive. The Jaguar XKSS - as driven by Steve McQueen would make the top of the list by a mile! Completely impractical, absurdly expensive and still the best looking car on the market. How is Drive Tribe going!? Great! After the initial launch, everyone started on a level playing field, so I was thrilled to hear I was in the top fifty Tribe leaders. I recently attended a party with Clarkson, Hammond and May to celebrate this achievement, so its going really well so far. We’ve heard about your trip to Top Marques, could you tell us more? The Gentleman Racer was announced as the Official Brand Partner to Top Marques Monaco this year. It would only be fit to arrive there in style now wouldn’t it! I have several brands interested in a collaboration, but for now you’ll have to wait and see! What else is in The Gentleman Racer's diary for 2017? Geneva is up next with the J1 Supercar Club flying me out as their guest, followed by Top Marques Monaco. I fly back to assume my duties as Social ambassador to Bicester Heritage for the Sunday Scramble and then back out again for the McLaren launch. The rest of the year is occupied by many Goodwood events and plenty of road trips with Redline 247! Want to connect with Tom? Check out his journey here: The Gentleman Racer on Twitter. The Gentleman Racer on Instagram. TGR on Drive Tribe