The FINANCIAL — In life, not everything is black and white – but for one night only at London's famous Ace Cafe, it was.
The car, the band, the venue, in a glorious celebration of Americana that marked the iconic American brand's 100th anniversary.
Chevrolet pulled the wraps off a very special one-off model of its Cruze on August 27, which paid tribute to one of America's most iconic movies of all time.
The 'Cruzemobile' echoes the look of the famous 'Bluesmobile', made famous by John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd in The Blues Brothers, a film with one of the most famous movie soundtracks of all time.
And to further add to the celebratory theme, Chevrolet's own Cruze Brothers band performed a live set to a crowd of over 500 guests at the Ace Cafe, the world's most famous car, bike and music venue on London's famous North Circular Road.
The cafe was opened in 1938 & post war, with the British motorcycle industry at its peak, became the place to meet until its closure in 1969. It was reopened in 2001 on the original site by current owner Mark Wilsmore.
Since then, it has grown to once again be the foremost venue for car and bike fans across Europe, with meetings for various types of vehicle on every night of the week. The Cruze Brothers act was the highlight of the late summer all-American Cruise-in, which attracts fans of US metal from all over the continent.
"We were delighted to have the support of Chevrolet at our American cruise-in night," said Wilsmore. "The brand is celebrating its centenary and is as much a cultural icon as the Ace Cafe itself. We've a number of Chevy owners who are regulars here, so it was great to welcome them and their unique car and entertainment."
Chevrolet UK Managing Director, Mark Terry, added: "As we celebrate 100 years of Chevrolet, it's right that we should mark this by celebrating other elements of American culture – we're the only US brand to truly establish a foothold across all segments of the UK and European car market, and much of that is down to the proud heritage and cultural associations that people make with our brand. The Blues Brothers is an all-time American classic, much like Chevrolet itself."
The Cruze Brothers themselves are a pair of music teachers from St Neots, Cambridgeshire. Dave Wiggins (Joliet Jake) and James Proctor (Ellwood) have been touring together as a tribute band for the past two years, and perform a two-hour set that includes re-enacting scenes and dances from the movie – often referred to as Grease for blokes – as well as a live soul, rock and blues act.
As for the future of the Cruzemobile – who knows. "We're hoping it'll be popular enough to go on tour itself," said Mark Terry. "But one thing's for sure, and it's that we won't be making it available as an option pack!"
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