Month: January 2008

I am totally redesigning the front page of JustBritish.  Hope you like how it looks, and please let me know what you think. Thanks! Michael

Britain’s Autocar magazine has the first spy shots of the first rolling prototype of the Rolls Royce’s new small car. It has been dubbed the RR4 until they find a suitable name for the new vehicle. Autocar reports that the new model will carry on with the Phantom’s design language, from the thick C-pillar to the suicide rear doors. But the new model is significantly shorter and lower than the Phantom, which will inevitably lead to speculation that it’s based loosely on BMW’s 7-Series sedan. We’re not saying, we’re just saying. Engines are to include the Phantom’s 6.75-liter V-12 and potentially, the 400-hp, 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 found in BMW’s M3. Also surprising is the magazine’s report that a diesel Roller might even be under consideration. Rolls Royce is boosting capacity in Goodwood to build the new car, and prices in […]

The first production Lotus Elise-based, $98,000 battery-electric Tesla Roadsters will be exported to the U.S. from Lotus Engineering in March, now that Tesla Motors has received all regulatory approvals to import the first production Tesla Roadster (“P1”) for sale. Initially at a limited rate pendng the supply of a redesigned single-ratio transmission, series production is scheduled to begin on 17th March. Transmission problems have delayed series production, and early production units will be equipped with an interim transmission that meets durability requirements but limits acceleration to 5.7 seconds from 0 to 60 mph. Tesla Motors engineers have designed a permanent solution for mass production that supports the original specification of 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds. The planned solution is said to offer some very positive benefits. Instead of a complex two-speed transmission design, Tesla will achieve the original […]

According to a media report, the British luxury car maker Jaguar has shown its new models and the planned product cycle to its probable new parent company, Tata Motors. Tata Motors was named earlier this month as the preferred bidder by the US car giant Ford for the sale of its two British luxury brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, after evaluating interests by two other suitors — India’s Mahindra and Mahindra and private equity firm OneEquity. “We have shown Tata our new model lines and the planned product cycle,” Ian Callum, director (design), Ford Motor Company, who is responsible for the Jaguar’s new XF and XK model ranges, told Financial Times. The Tata group company is currently holding advanced-level talks for buying Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford and a final decision is expected to be announced by the end […]

If your name is Sgt. Ted Golec and a copy of this article has made it into your hands in Iraq, please stop reading now. Golec’s friends in the Knox and Blount County area are planning something big for him when he returns from his second tour in the Middle East this spring and they would really hate to ruin the surprise. You see, Golec told his wife Emily to go ahead and sell his beloved 1964 MG Midget — a sweet little green British sports car that’s been sitting in his mother’s basement for the past 20 years — while he was serving in the Army overseas. The car hasn’t been driven in forever, and to get it back in running order would be a gargantuan task, both financially and logistically. But when his friend Elmer Grimes, a car […]

To start the review Clarkson says, “Normally I avoid road-testing cars made by small British companies like Ascari because nobody is going to buy one anyway. However, some things are worth a bit of extra effort and the Ascari A10 is one of them. With a tweaked version of BMW’s old M5 engine sitting in the middle of the carbon fibre tub, you have the power of 600 horses in a car that weighs about the same as a sausage dog.” Read the full review here.

Thousands of classic car enthusiasts from across the country will descend on Stafford this weekend for the annual British Mini Fair. The iconic little car will take centre stage at the event, to be hosted by the Staffordshire County Showground on Sunday. A vast array of different models will be on display in Bingley Hall, at the Weston Road site. Organisers promise that the event, the country’s leading indoor Mini show, will be “bigger and better” than ever before. Dave Hollis, British Mini Club events organiser, said the fair would include a collection of the best classic and modern Minis under one roof. He said: “More than 7,000 visitors made the 2007 British Mini Fair a massive success. We are urging people to come along this weekend and be a part of this fantastic indoor show. “The British Mini Fair […]

The roots shared by the names MINI and John Cooper Works reach back almost 50 years. Now a new chapter of their success story has been opened. Under the roof of MINI the entire product range designed for the driver with a specifically sporting ambition will bear the John Cooper Works label. Consequently, John Cooper Works will in future become an integral part of the MINI brand and represent more than ever before the epitome of ultimate driving fun for all MINI enthusiasts. A visible sign of this repositioning is the newly devised brand logo which will be seen on all future John Cooper Works products. It is the guarantee for exceptional racing know-how, for an avid aspiration to achieve peak efficiency as well as for a deep understanding of the unconventional character and the outstanding quality demands expected of […]

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (Group) (SAIC) is scheduled to launch SW, a model in MG 3 Series, after the Chinese Spring Festival in February. The model will be the first new product the Chinese auto giant releases after marrying Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corp. It indicates that the MG brand will grow rapidly since the marriage began. SW has been in the spotlight after it debut at the Guangzhou auto show in November 2007. “We will bring out 1.4- and 1.8-liter products shortly after this Spring Festival,” a MG executive showed great confidence. MG 3 Series, priced between CNY 80,000 and CNY 120,000, will be a major force in the MG family, related people disclosed at the show. The SW is predicted to reach the ceiling of the brand’s price range and compete head-to-head with medium- and high-grade small-sized two-compartment products […]

“You are looking at the MC1; a British designed and built supercar that could be on sale by 2011,” says Autocar magazine’s website, referring to a photo of a car which uses a 600bhp, mid-mounted V10 engine. The car has been designed by Motorcity, a German-based design studio owned by British designer David Hilton, which produced cars such as the most recent Ford Mustang and Ford S-Max. It’s claimed that working prototypes of the MCI are already undergoing tests. Motorcity has reportedly teamed up with C2P Automotive, a Milton Keynes-based engineering company, which has agreed to manufacture the car, but Autocar admits that little else is yet known about the MC1.

Rolls-Royces weren’t always the best cars in the world, even when they were assumed to be. Some even challenge the claim to that title of the Edwardian Silver Ghost, the progenitor of the legend. Car magazine shoved the flying lady off her pedestal 40 years ago, when the Silver Shadow was judged inferior to a Mercedes-Benz. By the time BMW established the “new” Rolls-Royce operation in Goodwood, the Rolls-Royce brand had become tarnished. The cars were as finely crafted as ever, but were behind technologically. The Rolls-Royce had become an anachronism.Well, BMW has been restoring the brand’s corporate fortunes. The original (2003) Phantom line of limousines was enriched by longer-wheelbase, armoured and bespoke variations – and now those ships of state are joined by the more playful Phantom Drophead Coupé, the most fun Rolls-Royce since Lady Penelope’s. Rolls-Royce may or […]

It is with regret we have to inform you of the sad passing of Brian Griffin. Brian passed away in Cheltenham Hospital during the early hours of Sunday 5th January after a short illness. Over the years Brian’s contribution to the British Car Industry, especially the MG marque, has been truly enormous. Starting in1960 with the British Motor Corporation where he served a five-year apprenticeship at Longbridge he remained with the company in all it’s guises until the closure of MG Rover, and MG Sport and Racing, After this Brian remained active around the MG scene and with his wife Marion, ran their own business, X Power Products. He always had a smile on his face and time to talk. So many times Brian has made the seemingly impossible happen for MG and he will be greatly missed by all […]

British car guide WhatCar? has announced its 2008 car of the year awards. The categories range from supermini to performance, and every class in-between. Throughout the results common themes are apparent. No matter what type of vehicle they are looking for, British consumers are in need of everyday practicality along with fuel economy. Practicality comes in the form of tight packages that do not sacrifice storage space or good handling characteristics. Fuel economy comes in the form of small diesel engines powering almost every vehicle on the list. WhatCar? also seems to have a bit of a bias towards makes with British heritage. It named the Jaguar XF 2.7D V6 Luxury their overall 2008 Car of the Year. The Jag was also the winner of the executive car category. They noted that the car’s classic refined Jaguar design mixed with […]