GO GO , TEAM BO ’!
Imperial College ’ s unique Team Bo ’ has been a mainstay on the Veteran Car Run for eight decades , and is going stronger than ever . We caught up with Sean Mabiasan and Alona Enraght-Moony , two of the student volunteers helping to keep their venerable mascot running .
Team Bo ’ on display at the Veteran Car Concours in 2003 .
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2018 Veteran Car Run .
Lining up in Hyde Park this year , you may spot a red James & Browne , registration AW 38 . It ’ s more likely , though , you ’ ll notice its driver and passengers .
Dressed to the nines in top hats and red-striped blazers , this is Team Bo ’, a group of students from Imperial College London who have volunteered to maintain the 1902 car – the titular Bo ’, which is short for Boanerges – and take him to Brighton . The team has been participating in the London to Brighton for over 80 years , with the car having been owned by City & Guilds College ( part of Imperial College London ) since 1933 .
As the motoring mascot of the City & Guilds College Union , Bo ’ s importance to Imperial College goes beyond being simply an annual jolly for the team . His mechanical needs offer students the chance to develop practical skills , the kind that many won ’ t receive on their courses , and the opportunity to be part of the car ’ s lengthening history . And boy , does he keep them busy with the preparation required to compete in the Run each year . “ I ’ ve been with the ‘ club ’ for two years now , and the thing that drew me in – because I ’ m a mechanical engineering student – is that I ’ d never really touched anything practical before ,” says Sean . “ I wanted to have more experience with putting something together engineering-wise . I ’ d heard about this car from someone else who had just joined , and I thought I ’ d go down for a session . I turned up and I was faced with this big , red box of wood on wheels , and I thought ‘ that thing is never going to run ’. But they actually got it started and I was damn impressed !” Since Sean joined the team , Bo ’ has been treated to a full nut-and-bolt restoration , which he believes gives the team the best chance to keep the spirit alive for years to come . “ Because 2019 was our last successful Run , we want 2023 to be the year that gets that lucky streak back , because he ’ s now in good
The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run