I think London gets an unfair rap. Yes, the weather can suck, the traffic can be treacherous, and the car scene is sometimes limited to a Tesco car park. But what if you threw all of those preconceptions out the window, and found yourself here, on a warm and sunny afternoon, with a couple of beers and cars that have no business being in the center of one of the world’s busiest cities?
That’s exactly what Brayden Slezak from Vengaworld has gone and done. Flipping the UK stereotype on its head and rebuilding car culture brick by brick in the heart of London.
When I told Brayden I would be visiting the UK with Dino, he didn’t hesitate to lock in an evening with us to gather some Venga regulars for a short drive and long dinner in Soho, the thumping heart of the city on a Thursday evening.
This wasn’t my first Venga event; just last year I managed to get to two different London gatherings, one a casual set-up like this, and the other bringing in thousands from across the UK and even Europe. Even with this familiarity, however, you never know what will show up at a Venga meet, and this evening was no exception.
It started with five: Brayden in his VIP-inspired Lexus GS, Justin in his Mazda RX-8, Keith in his Honda S2000 Type S, plus a Cadillac Coupe De Ville and one of the UK’s two factory manual orange Lamborghini Diablo VTs. But soon after, some Germans arrived in town for another UK event with a Liberty Walk R35 Nissan GT-R, a Slantnose-converted Porsche 996, and a twin-turbo 991 GT3 RS. The group was then finally joined by the Auto Finesse Porsche 993 and a Toyota Chaser.
From the pub, we headed inward to the city, a good 45-minute drive along the Thames and through the center of the city. One thing that will never miss me is the positivity these cars receive in the UK. Where reactions in Australia and even Japan to cars are often cold, the overwhelming majority of those in the UK love to see something other than a black cab or smashed-up Uber driving through the city.
Our destination was Soho, absolutely buzzing on a Thursday night. On what is usually a pedestrian-only street, it turns into a road from 7:30 in the evening, making the perfect spot for us to park up and grab a bite to eat. And whilst we’re on the topic of UK misconceptions, one of the better car gathering bites to eat I’ve had in a long time.
Thank you, Brayden, for having us out for a night of Venga, proving that it isn’t necessarily about having to go to the best roads or the fastest circuits, but simply using them as social canvases, or in this case, pizza tables.
