THE Magic Roundabout has always been synonymous with Swindon as far as other parts of the UK are concerned, but now it has taken on international significance.

Drone footage - below - captured at the recent Pressed Wheels Of Steel event, which saw vintage cars circling the iconic site, has caught the eye of a writer living as far away as Brooklyn, New York.

Aarian Marshall contributes to a number of American publications and it was in the popular magazine ‘Wired’ that she decided to write about her new-found fascination with Swindon’s most famous piece of Tarmac.

“I am from a different land - a different time, maybe - where the car people resist the circling,” she wrote.

“Straight ahead is the way forward. But in this place, across the sea, the cars circle in all directions, within and without each other, a tango of mystery.

“They call this swirl of movement the Magic Roundabout.”

It may seem odd for someone to refer to a road we drive on every day with such mystery and intrigue but it seems Aarian really is quite taken aback.

For Americans, with their cities built on grid-like layouts, the roundabout is an unusual phenomenon.

“How does such sorcery work?” Aarian goes on to ask.

“The roundabout in its common form is already a magic way to get traffic moving faster and more safely.

“The wise elders teach us four-way intersections are deadly places, that driving in circles reduces the likelihood of what they deliciously call a T-bone.

“The scholars say the roundabout reduces injurious crashes by three quarters.”

The drone footage that sparked the interest was captured and edited by local firm AAIR.

It is the creation of co-directors Simon Folkard and Rachel Speller, who turned a passion for drone filming into their Devizes-based business.

Simon said: “That shot from directly above the Magic Roundabout is one I’ve always wanted to get but I’ve never been able to.

"Once we heard Swindon175 were shutting the road for this event it was the perfect opportunity.

“We have been blown away by the Wired coverage, the video has three quarters of a million views – it’s gone properly viral.

“The reaction locally was positive enough but we had no idea it could go across the pond like it has.

“Drone footage is really starting to take off, once people see what can be produced they are really impressed.”

To read Aarian Marshall’s article in full visit the Wired.com and to see our account of the classic parade click here and for our story about Mad Mike Whiddett driving around it, drift race style, click here