Herefordshire group saves jet car Richard Hammond nearly died in

Known as "the Syndicate", the group of eight enthusiasts bought the wrecked shell of Vampire and have since spent the best part of two years lovingly rebuilding it.

The group has been boosted by talented and generous local businesses and people, some with RAF experience, who have got involved in the project, with members even turning to eBay to buy parts for the unique car.

Herefordshire car lovers picked up Vampire in November 2020

Hammond was seriously injured when he crashed the Vampire Dragster while driving at over 300mph in 2006 for a segment on the BBC's Top Gear.

And the presenter, who lives in Weston-under-Penyard, recently visited the car and got back in the driving seat – but didn't start it up.

Paramedics and police at the scene of the crash in which Richard Hammond was injured while filming BBC's Top Gear in 2006. Picture: SWNS

He has engaged with the project though, the group said, and has been great.

The group now plans to take Vampire, which still holds the national land speed record status at 300.3mph, around the country and further afield to show it off to cars fans.

Any proceeds made will go to charity, but the car will not be used for racing again.

The record-breaking Vampire jet car is a big spectacle

But in particular, the group are keen to use it as a "centre piece" for the Bromyard Speed Festival – with the dragster's first public outing as part of the festival's event at Shelsley Walsh in 2021.

Phil Davies, who is part of "the Syndicate" with John Clayton, Jeremy Holden, Paul Anderton, Massie Piggott, Joy Hoyle, Tracy Weaver and Lawrence Bleasdale, said it was an easy decision when they decided to buy the car in 2019.

It was a "call out of the blue" from the owner Roy Phelps, Mr Davies, who lives near Bromyard, said, and it took the team a year until they could even start the legendary jet engine up.

Vampire had to be dragged out the garage where it was stored before the Herefordshire car lovers bought it

They were also helped enormously by Andrew Hurdle and Kieran Westman who originally developed and raced the car.

When they picked up the car in November 2019, the chassis was intact but the suspension, brakes and steering needed attention.

The first fit of the remanufactured body panels

The engine and its fuel system also required extensive investigation and the group quickly learned that the fuelling and ignitions systems would need a complex refurbishment.

The repainted and refurbished engine of the record-breaking car

It was then May 2020 when the engine was first started up, and Syndicate member John Clayton, a director at Micron Sprayers in Bromyard, said it sounded beautiful.

He said the impetus then came when the group knew the car started, and despite lockdowns during the pandemic, the group took parts of the car home to work on in isolation.

Mr Clayton said people just wanted to be involved in the whacky project, and since filming with DRIVETRIBE, the car YouTube channel set up by Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson, videos have been seen two million times.

And for the group, they are proud to have a Bromyard Speed Festival sticker on the bonnet – putting the Herefordshire town firmly on the map.

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