Month: April 2014

The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, based at the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon, Warwickshire has been awarded a Round Two grant of £1.45 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for its Museum Collections Centre project, it was announced today. The award is the culmination of more than 2 years work to develop plans for a new building in which to store and display more than 200 historic British cars from the collections of both the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and its partner the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. The £4 million project received initial support from HLF in 2011, and the latest HLF grant, together with match funding from Jaguar Land Rover, The Garfield Weston Foundation and both Trusts, will enable work on this exciting new project to begin in the spring of 2014. The new Museum Collection […]

Stories come and theories go, but according to the website Complex Rides, this one seems to have some teeth to it. Could it be that Mercedes will soon be driving Aston Martin? And with companies like VW and BMW taking control of other prime British marques, who can say it isn’t a valid supposition? To quote CR, “It all started  when Aston Martin announced that it would be using engines co-developed with AMG, using a lot of AMG technology in its next generation of cars. When this happened, Mercedes got to take home a five percent non-voting stake in Aston Martin. More deals were later struck for use of Mercedes’ next gen SL and SLK platforms, as well as for the GL’s platform for the upcoming Lagonda SUV. That’s in addition to the whole suite of Mercedes electronics, from active […]

Morgan Motor Car Company has announced a new special edition Plus 8 Speedster for delivery this summer. The new Morgan Plus 8 Speedster embodies all of Morgan’s core values and has been commissioned as part of a special line of vehicles to celebrate 100 years of vehicle manufacture at Pickersleigh Road. The Speedster, the latest evolution of the Plus 8, offers an even more invigorating driving experience inspired by a bygone era of stripped back, road going race cars. A 367 bhp 4.8 litre BMW V8 engine and a 6 speed manual or ZF 6 speed automatic gearbox propels the car from 0-62 in 4.2 seconds with a limited top speed of 148 mph. The latest in aluminium chassis developments ensure that its performance and road-holding will match its looks. The Speedster boasts a power to weight ratio to rival any […]

Beautiful Highlands, North Carolina, is gearing up for the return of the British at the Seventh Annual Highlands Motoring Festival. This year the Cars of Great Britain will be the Marque of the Year. These Brits will be welcomed with parties, movies, road rallies, and certainly, the Car Show.   Be sure to check out the Events page on the event’s website page that describes the activities. And while Cars of Great Britain, are the Marque, we also will welcome cars from all countries…USA, Germany, Italy, France, Sweden, just to name a few. The only restriction is the age of the vehicle must be 1989 or older. However, there is a Special Interest class that does not have the age restriction. However, this is for special production, and/or featured cars. (Details in the Classes webpage). As in past years, this […]

The MG Dynamo, a new and all-electric city car concept, was unveiled today. The MG Dynamo is based on parent company SAIC’s Roewe E50 city car sold in China. The car was on display at an exhibit of current and future tech at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The display has been timed to coincide with the Beijing motor show where the marque is celebrating its 90th anniversary. The Dynamo concept is said to encompass “the latest in design and engineering technology”. The car has been developed to assess demand for a small, electric MG in Europe. The concept was created by SAIC’s (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) design and technical centre at Longbridge. MG Motor UK hasn’t revealed any details about the drivetrain, but conjecture is that it is likely to be similar to Rowe E50’s. Launched in China in January 2013, this […]

The all-new 2015 MINI Countryman has made an appearance ahead of its official debut at the 2014 New York Auto Show. The newest version of MINI’s Countryman will sport its traditional four-door styling with a large tailgate, seating for five and optional all-wheel drive. Following in the footsteps of the new MINI Cooper, the Countryman’s styling has been freshened for a new generation and will be launching this July. The Countryman will be available in a variety models including the performance-oriented John Cooper Works variant. There will also be the Cooper and Cooper S versions with ALL4 all-wheel drive available as an option. Finally, the company will offer the MINI One, Cooper SD and Cooper D Countryman with optional ALL4. The base model will be powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 121 hp while the S and JCW models […]

This year’s Pride of Longbridge (POL) Rally in Cofton Park, Birminham on Saturday (April 12) was the best-attended in its nine year history after 2,800 people went along to the event. The annual event, which began after the collapse of MG Rover, saw hundreds of car enthusiasts from all over the country and even as far as Belgium and Holland bring a multitude of vehicles ‘back home’ to where they were built. Among the motors on show were everything from Minis, Metros and Allegros to Autin 7s, MGs and Rovers. Dave Coulson, who used to manufacture engines at the Longbridge plant, was there in his 1968 Austin Mini Cooper Mark II. The Mercia Minis club member told The Standard: “I was there for 21 years, so it’s like coming home.” John Collins and his aptly-named son Austin from Tamworth went to […]

According to the Internet news site Digital Trends, the once famous name of Jensen may be returning to the car market. Their article begins this way, “Britain has no shortage of iconic car marques. From Aston Martin to Jaguar, and Rolls-Royce to Land Rover, Britannia rules the roads like it once ruled the waves. “Yet one name in the pantheon of great British carmakers often goes unnoticed: Jensen. Its signature product was the Interceptor, an Italian-styled GT with Chrysler V8 power known for being one of the first road cars with four-wheel drive (in FF form), and for having the coolest name ever applied to a fender badge. “Sadly, a combination of poor build equality, a general downturn, and myriad other factors forced Jensen to close its doors in 1976. There have been a few attempts to revive the company, […]

The 2014 Great Scot! British Car Show, coinciding with the Greenville Scottish Games, will be held on the beautiful shaded mall of Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, May 24, 2014. This year’s show, the 6th annual, will honor the Sunbeam as this year’s featured marque. Hosted by the Southeastern British Motor Owners Club, the show will exhibit Jaguars, MGs, Triumphs, and other classic cars from the heyday of the British automotive industry. From the big, luxury vehicles of Rolls Royce, to the diminutive and sporty Austin Healey Sprite, there will be something of interest to everyone. All British cars and motorcycles are eligible. Winning classes are: First, Second, and Third place class awards (depending on number of entries) – Best of Show – Special awards to include President’s Award and a featured Marque award. Judging will be by the Participants, […]

Unfortunately we can’t get hold of one on this side of the pond, but elsewhere in the world the MG3 continues to rack up the good press. Let’s see – it is sporty, it is inexpensive, it has the MG bloodline, and it is hip. What more could you want? As this review from New Zealand states, “The chiseled wedge-profiled shape even has details along its rear panels that reflect the angles of the famous octagon badge, though the designers are to be congratulated for not slavishly putting that shape all over the car. “Sitting on standard 16 inch alloy rims, along with subtle dark grey sills, front splitter and vestigial hatch spoiler and covered in electric blue paint that seems wet it’s so glossy, the wee 3 looks a treat. “Up front its lazy-v shaped smile sucks on the […]

The 27th annual British Car Gathering, hosted by Blount British Cars, will be held May 9, 10, 11, 2014 in Townsend, Tennessee, on the grounds of the Talley Ho Inn. This year the club is partnering with the Knoxville English Auto Society and inviting their European neighbors to enjoy a spring day in the Smokies. Relax in the beauty of the Smoky Mountains and share your passions and experiences with other enthusiasts who are committed to the enjoyment and preservation of British & European cars and motorcycles. Festivities begin Friday night hospitality – a time to mix, mingle and cozy up to a warm fire and swap tall tales. Saturday will offer a field of British and European cars and motorcycles, participant voting, trophy presentation, a car drive, ‘For Sale’ corral and a casual, yet proper, afternoon tea for the ladies. […]

This will be the 31st Annual British Motorcar Day, this year on Sunday, May 4 in Roswell, Georgia. British Motorcar Day is an annual gathering of all of the British Car Clubs in the Atlanta, Georgia region. The event is now in its Thirtieth year from its beginnings with sixteen cars in Grant Park in 1983. The show is in a new location this year, just off Hill Street in downtown Roswell, just north of Atlanta. You can see the Hill Street location on Google Maps, or get full directions from the attached flyer. The event that started over thirty years ago with a handful of cars in Grant Park has moved back closer to where it began. The City of Roswell and the Historic Roswell Merchants Association are hosting the 31st BMCD in the parking lot behind City Hall off Hill […]

New car sales in Britain rallied in March to the highest total for a decade, industry data showed on Friday. Sales jumped 17.7 percent last month to 464,824 vehicles compared with data for March 2013, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said in a statement. That was the highest monthly figure since March 2004. “New car registrations surged 17.7 percent in March … a surprisingly strong level of growth and a reflection of intensifying consumer confidence and the availability of great new products,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes. “Given the past six years of subdued economic performance across the UK, there is still a substantial margin of pent-up demand that is contributing to a strong new and used car market. There has never been a better time to buy a new car thanks to attractive finance deals […]