Month: February 2015

Introducing the Aston Martin Vulcan – a track-only supercar and the British luxury brand’s most intense and exhilarating creation to date. Born out of extensive motorsport experience – and using the brand’s acknowledged flair for design and engineering ingenuity – the 800-plus bhp, all-carbon fibre Aston Martin Vulcan promises truly extreme performance. Uniquely for Aston Martin the new supercar – limited to just 24 examples worldwide – will allow owners the opportunity to precisely tailor their track day experience through a graduating scale of detailed power and dynamic performance adjustments. CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said: “Aston Martin Vulcan is, by its very nature, a rare and thrilling supercar. Designed and engineered to deliver a genuinely bespoke driving experience that draws on our rich heritage, this car tailors its power and handling to both the capabilities of the driver and the […]

MG’s British Touring Car Championship team has signed youngster Jack Goff to partner 2013 champion Andrew Jordan. The 23-year-old, who won the 2012 Renault Clio Cup UK title, joins the Triple Eight-run operation for his third season in the BTCC. Goff earned a career-best finish of second in his debut season in 2013, narrowly missing out on winning the season finale at Brands Hatch behind Honda’s Gordon Shedden when driving a Team Hard-run Vauxhall Insignia. He switched to Team BMR for the 2014 campaign, sticking with the Insignia for the first half of the year before changing to one of the team’s Volkswagen CCs for the final five rounds. “Obviously as a kid growing up, driving for a works team is the pinnacle,” said Goff. “I probably began watching touring cars when Triple Eight were hugely dominant and to now […]

We take a look at Jaguar this time for our Video of the Week. In fact, we take a look at one of the newest big cats with the review of the 2015 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe produced by The New York Times. According to The Times, “The Jaguar F-Type Coupe is as much Rodin as road machine, with performance to match the undulating aluminum panels draped over a bonded and riveted aluminum platform.” Car and Driver said of the F-Type, “As Jaguar’s most powerful and athletic offering, the F-type R coupe—and convertible—combine brute force with gorgeous sheet-metal. Powered by a 550-hp supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 mated to an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, the F-type R can hustle with the best of them. It also heralds its sporting intentions with a cacophony of cracks and pops from its exhaust. The […]

Jaguar–Land Rover is reportedly planning to jump on the EV bandwagon before the end of the decade. Company executives have not yet decided whether the upcoming EV will be introduced as a Jaguar or as a Land Rover. German magazine Auto, Motor Und Sport says that the former is likely for marketing reasons, fueling speculation that the EV will be based on Jaguar’s upcoming F-Pace. Company executives have not yet decided whether the upcoming EV will be introduced as a Jaguar or as a Land Rover. German magazine Auto, Motor Und Sport says that the former is likely for marketing reasons, fueling speculation that the EV will be based on Jaguar’s upcoming F-Pace.Regardless of which emblem it ends up wearing, the EV will take the form of a relatively large SUV or crossover because those body styles offer more space […]

Exports of British car to China have increased fivefold since 2009, according to figures released today by a British industry body, driven by a demand for luxury brands such as Rolls-Royce and Jaguar. The number of cars manufactured in Britain and exported to China stood at 137,410 in 2014, a 14.5 percent increase on the previous year and five times the number shifted in 2009, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said in a statement. British car exports to all destinations have increased by 54 percent since 2009 to 1.2 million vehicles in 2014, and the sector represented 11.2 per cent of all British exports last year, a new record. The health of the British motor industry has not escaped the notice of Prime Minister David Cameron, who goes to the polls seeking re-election on May 7 and […]

Feb. 19, 2015, Southlake, Texas – SVRA and Motostalgia have entered into a joint venture and multi-year agreement, with Motostalgia being recognized as the Official Auction Company of SVRA and hosting exclusive car auctions at select SVRA events- beginning this year with the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational. This joint venture will provide the true enthusiast the opportunity to enjoy two of the most exciting experiences in motorsports: auctions and vintage racing! “Working with Motostalgia Auction Company was the next logical step for SVRA, given our demographics and national footprint,” said Tony Parella, President and CEO of SVRA. “Adding a car auction to the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational will make this an even more special event.” “SVRA’s schedule is a perfect fit for us. This leading racing organization offers us access to world class cars. With the scale of SVRA’s customer […]

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect this week for many Eastern States, including Georgia. Due to the threat of more severe winter weather, SVRA has canceled the Southern Vintage Classic, scheduled for this weekend, Feb. 20-22 at Road Atlanta. The decision to cancel came after a discussion with Road Atlanta Raceway staff. The area is already dealing with harsh winter conditions, with more forecast for the weekend. “It’s really a safety issue,” said Tony Parella, president and CEO of SVRA. There are safety concerns for the racers, the volunteers and staff. With a storm warning being issued for the whole region, expectations are for snow, high winds, and freezing temperatures. Spectators who purchased tickets for the event will be given a full refund. SVRA Southern Vintage Classic entrants will be able to seek a refund, or to apply their […]

WH Brand, a family-run MG dealership in Lincolnshire threw a party for more than 250 guests at its premises in the village of Whaplode Drove, near Spalding. They held the event to celebrate being named the top-performing MG dealer of 2014 as well as being the top-selling MG3 dealer. In addition, the company was marking 90 years in business. The celebrations coincided with the 90th birthday of Fred Brand, the son of the firm’s founder, William Horace Brand. Fred showed off a classic 1949 speedway bike – he took up the sport to earn money to build a new garage for the business. While customers tucked into a fish and chip supper on a London double-decker bus parked outside the showrooms, sales manager Adam Brand – great grandson of the firm’s founder – enjoyed a bit of business success. He said: ‘I was […]

British Prime Minister David Cameron was at Rolls-Royce’s plant in Goodwood, Sussex, Wednesday on the south coast of England, and welcomed the announcement that the company, maker of expensive limousines, coupes and convertibles, would expand its model line-up with an ultra-luxury SUV. “The all-new Rolls-Royce model, announced today, will herald a new chapter in the remarkable British manufacturing success story that is Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. It will guarantee long term sustainable growth, secure investment and jobs for the future, and ensure that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars remains at the pinnacle of British luxury manufacturing,” said Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, Chief Executive Officer of Rolls-Royce. “The launch of the Phantom in 2003 marked the beginning of the renaissance of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Since then, we have set a new benchmark for what a super-luxury car should be – unique, hand-crafted, beautiful and rare. Often […]

For this week’s Video of the Week we are going to go 35 years back. Yes, back all the way to 1969 for some great BBC footage of the British national saloon car championship from Crystal Palace. Above the race, you can hear commentary from Murry walker. As the original poster of this video to YouTube stated, “this is a great video and I wish motorsport was a bit more like this these days and less technical and money orientated.” I can whole-heartedly agree with that. 1969 was the last year of Group 5 in Britain – and the last year of that plastic bomb called the Falcon Sprint. The rules had become a little more strict now – so no FVA engine in Cortinas or Escorts now, in line with the rest of Europe. Class divisions were like 1968 […]

Classic Minis United is going back to Cherokee, NC for the base of their 3 day driving adventure. This 56th of their gatherings will be held April 15 through 18, 2015. Cherokee is located at the south entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and at the beginning of the Blue Ridge Parkway. As with all of CMU’s events, they like to drive, and that’s what they’ll be doing. The club will have drives each of the three days with plenty of stops and things to see. In addition to all the usual Mini and automotive stuff, “The Mini Hippie Film Festival” will be shown during the Hippie party Friday night! Even if you can’t make it to the event, you have a chance to show off your short film and win some cash. The film festival is sponsored […]

The Morgan Motor Company has sent out notice that a new Morgan automobile will be unveiled at the March 3, 2015, Geneva Motorshow. A teaser video put out by Morgan can be seen on YouTube. It doesn’t provide any real information but does provide a view of the seats and the sound of the exhaust.

The Classic MG Club of Orlando invites MG lovers everywhere to Gathering of the Faithful South XLIX from April 17-19, 2015 at the historic Mission Inn in “Old Florida” Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. Gear-heads of all brands are welcome to walk around and see over 100 MGs on display. “Gathering of the Faithful” (GoF) was coined in 1965 by the late Frank Churchill of the New England MG T Register as an event for MG owners to gather and meet other faithful MG owners. Now, GoFs are the premier MG events each year in four areas of the country: New England, Central, West, and South. The Classic MG Club is the host of this year’s GoF South. The club, founded in 1963, is one of the most active MG clubs in the U.S. The first GoF South was three years later in […]

After a brief absence, we return with a new Video of the Week. This week MGBs are on the mind and so our video will be one entitled “The Car’s the Star”. It is a documentary on the famous MG which was produced for basically two decades. http://youtu.be/dsPTvOVB2LU For those who have been living under a rock and aren’t familiar with the MGB, the ‘B’ as it is known is a two-door sports car manufactured and marketed by MG Cars and its successors as a four-cylinder, soft-top roadster (1962-1980) — along with variants including the MGB GT three-door 2+2 coupé (1965-1974), the six-cylinder roadster and coupé MGC (1967-1969), and the eight-cylinder 2+2 coupé, the MGB GT V8 (1973-1976). Replacing the MGA in 1962, production of the MGB and its variants continued by the British Motor Corporation and its successors, British […]

The American MGB Association’s 38th Annual Meet – AMGBA MEET 2015 – for the MGB, MGB-GT & Midget – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – October 3, 2015 MG sports car production as we know it was discontinued in 1980 with the closing of the famed Abingdon-On-Thames works in the United Kingdom. But these modern day classics are being preserved forever here in North America by members of the American MGB Association which serves enthusiastic MGB, MGB-GT, and MG Midget owners throughout the USA, Canada and throughout the world. Each year, the AMGBA holds its National Meet. The 1978 initial gathering was held in Chicago. In 1979 and 1980 the AMGBA National Conventions were held in New York state, in Ithaca and Glens Falls. The organization’s success led to renting the world famous Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway in 1981 for the […]