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Classic Car Racer and Director at Blackthorn

Julien Draper – Credit: Blackthorn

Growing up surrounded by some of the great racing Aston Martins of all time must have made an impact on a young teenager. For us enthusiasts it’s the world of dreams but for Julien Draper this was reality.

Julien is the son of Simon Draper who amassed a world class car collection and quite possibly the most complete single-make grouping of Aston Martins. Born in South Africa it was a DB4 that first fueled the passion for cars in Simon. In 1972 Simon came to the UK to pursue his other interests, music and English literature, working ‘temporarily’ at his cousin Richard Branson’s fledgling business. Twenty years on, he was a director of Virgin, and chairman of Virgin Records, one of Britain’s most successful music firms, handling, among others, Human League, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Culture Club and Mike Oldfield.

Cars made an impact on him while growing up in South Africa, when his schoolteacher father would often take him to the Roy Hesketh circuit at Pietermaritzburg. But it was at his prep school that one marque in particular made an indelible impression, when another pupil turned up in an Aston Martin DB4.

Simon’s first Aston was the Aston Martin Vantage which he was persuaded to buy by Roger Taylor (the drummer with Queen).

This much-loved Aston formed the nucleus of Simon's car collection. Some of the Aston highlights of his collection included:

• DB3S/7 that won the Goodwood 9 Hours in 1955
• DBR1/4 which finished second at Le Mans in 1959
• DBR2/2 that raced competitively in 1957 and 1958
  
• DBR4/1 single-seater that stretched the great Roy Salvadori
• DB4GT/0200/R which raced at Le Mans in 1962
• DP214 (DB4GT/0194/R) that won the 1963 Inter-Europa Cup at Monza driven by Salvadori
  
• Ulster LM20 that came third at Le Mans in 1935 on just 1.5 litres

His collection also includes Bristols, Lancias, Ferraris and Porsches amongst other marques.

Aston Martin DP214 chassis DB4GT/0194/R raced at Le Mans in 1963 and seen here at the Goodwood Festival - Credit: Julien Draper

Thanks to his friendship with Nick Mason he became actively involved in racing. Simon joined AMOC and entered his first race in an Ulster in 1991. In 1995 he described the Aston Martin Owners Club (60th Anniversary) as "the finest one-make club in the world."

Simon Draper’s passion for cars was such that he launched Palawan Press in 1993. The publishing company was set up to publish books of unsurpassed quality - in design, binding, illustration and authorship – on cars and classic motorsport. The latest publication does just that, the stunning Aston Martin ‘Project’ GT Racing Cars which covers the history of the Aston Martin Project cars built between 1962 and 1963. See www.palawan.co.uk for further details.

Julien recalls: ‘Growing up surrounded by wonderful cars and people was a great experience for me. My father was not only a collector but an avid racer. It was his passion to enter his cars in classic events across the world. Most weekends were spent in the paddock and being part of the racing club. To me it was exciting and very enjoyable. We were great friends with the Mason family who shared our passion for the world of motorsport.’

It was unsurprising that Julien himself would get the racing bug. It was at the relevantly late age of 16 that he passed his ARDS license. By the age of 20 he had progressed into a Ginetta G50 in the Ginetta G50 Cup, part of the BTCC package, and then onto the 2010 British GT Championship with Barwell Motorsport.

Julien’s semiprofessional career then progressed onto driving the The Mtech Ferrari 458 Italia GT3. Julien then competed in GT3 racing in series such as the Blancpain Endurance Series (including the Spa 24hr) driving a McLaren MP4-12C for Von Ryan Racing.

#60 -McLaren MP4-12C GT3 2012 -Spa 24hr - Blancpain Series - Credit: SRO GTWC (Europe)

In parallel with his driving career, he also worked as a sponsorship broker. Pausing his racing in 2014, Julien went on to pursue a career in private equity and venture capital and was a partner at a leading South African VC fund manager, Knife Capital, before joining Blackthorn.

Today, similar to his father, he enjoys racing classic cars, appearing in events such as the Goodwood Revival and the Silverstone Festival. He has driven E-Types, Jaguar Mark I, Lola-Chevrolet T70 Spyder, Attila Chevrolet, Cooper Bobtail, Ford Capri. With the Duke of Richmond being Julien’s father-in-law this further cements his vested and active involvement in the classic car world.

E-Type Lightweight – Silverstone Classic

Julien also has a passion for wildlife conservation and ancient history and actively raises funds for conservation projects around the world.

It is this blend of a knowledge and passion for race cars and his financial experience that perfectly suited his latest role as Director for Blackthorn. Working with Blackthorn’s team owner Claude Bovet they are developing a new Race Car Investment Fund that will allow investors to not only invest in some of the greatest race cars in modern history but have an immersive experience through racing events, hospitality and preferential access to exclusive events.

Julien states: ‘The fund will probably comprise of 20-25 race cars ranging from the 1930’s to 2015 and will come with exceptional provenance. We are looking to source these cars through standard retail connections and personal contacts and in the process discover gems that have been stored away and unseen for many years. We aim to maintain, restore and bring back to public view our collection through classic race events and concours. We will ensure that we have all the skills available to maintain the cars and also to provide apprenticeship opportunities for young people who want to pursue a career in classic restoration and engineering.’

I asked Julien how Aston Martin will feature in this new collection.

‘Of course, growing up with my father’s passion for Aston Martin and AMOC continues with myself. I can envisage the collection containing significant Astons and we hope to attract current collectors who are looking to find new homes for their cars. Blackthorn Racing is also a current AMR Partner team and we are proud of this relationship and wish to build on this. We will of course showcase these at events and encourage AMOC members to come along and experience them on track and events such as Goodwood. We will keep in touch with AMOC regarding new purchases and the events in which we will exhibit and race them.‘

Blackthorn #7 – Taking overall victory in Spa 2025 – Credit – SRO Motorsports – British GT Championship.

We wish Julien all the best going forward and for the opportunity to learn about the plans at such an early stage. If AMOC members wish to know more or have a long-lost racing Aston sitting in the garage and needing a new home then I am sure Julien will be delighted to hear from you.