October 2025 - 80,000 miles
I think it was 34 Trophy’s that originally signed up to the Welsh Weekender celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Capsicum Red 182. For lots of reasons the numbers dropped and to be fair it was probably a good thing - that many cars in one group would have been tricky to manage. Nevertheless, convoying in a group of 15+ virtually identical cars really is quite the experience. Plenty of people at the side of the road giving a thumbs up, big grins, filming and enjoying the spectacle.
As always, Friday morning I set off from Newbury before dawn, destination North Wales. I grabbed a quick bite to eat once over the Severn bridge, then it was off the motorways and dual carriageways and onto more familiar roads…
Heading from the south up through mid Wales then into Snowdonia the car was absolutely faultless all day, the refreshed suspension reminding me just how good this car is, it’s so well-matched to the roads. The weather was pretty kind too, not that warm but bright with good visibility and the sun even came out later in the day so I took a wander across the impressive Pontcysyllte aqueduct before finding my B&B for the night. A very successful day with lots of driving but I enjoyed it so much I just didn’t want to break it up stopping for photos.
Saturday morning was the official start of the event in Llangollen:
Pretty heavy rain to start the day meant a very steady run to the evo triangle (standing water and AD08Rs is not ideal) but after that things cleared up nicely and the pace increased as the conditions improved.
As always, the Llanberis pass provided the most dramatic scenery of the weekend:
While the epic B4391 was a strong contender for road of the weekend:
Lunch in Bala was at the John Lewis Partnership hotel, arranged by an owner who conveniently happens to run a Waitrose store. Good food and a rest before getting back on the road and heading to Aberystwyth but not before a quick snap leaving the hotel:
The whole weekend was excellently organised (well done Andy, great job) and well-attended. It’s a real personal highlight of Trophy ownership as fellow owners are a great bunch of like-minded people.
Sunday the group enjoyed the delightful Aberystwyth mountain road and onwards to the top of the Elan Valley:
After that the rains came and the journey back to Newbury was not pleasant, but overall another absolutely brilliant weekend in Wales and the car continues to be a joy to own and drive. Who knows where next year… the NC500 is calling louder and louder every year. Maybe 2026 is the year.
Thanks for reading, credit to whoever took these photos, thank you 👍
