Month: August 2015

Aston Martin Works is preparing for a busy September of new sports car sales handovers, led by its first delivery of the sold-out Vantage GT12. The arrival of the ‘65’ registration plate will trigger the traditional September sales spike as eager buyers of the great British brand’s luxury sports cars take delivery of their new models. The Newport Pagnell business – among the busiest Aston Martin dealerships in the world since it opened its impressive new car showroom in 2012 – is gearing up for one of its most hectic months of the year as buyers from across the UK collect their new cars. Leading the charge from the Buckinghamshire showroom this September is the arrival of one of the first new Vantage GT12 sports cars to be handed over to a UK customer. With production strictly limited to just […]

Aston Martin’s bold Second Century Plan for global growth and development is benefiting young job seekers, with news of more opportunities to join the business in sought-after apprenticeship roles. The luxury British sports car maker – which currently employs almost 40 young apprentices across a wide variety of functions at its modern factory and global headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire – is today announcing ten more apprenticeships in a selection of priority positions. The recruitment drive will see the apprentices join the business on a four-year fixed contract to learn their trade in one of the following areas: Paint, Trim, Maintenance, Control Engineering and Robotics, or Manufacturing Engineering. To be considered for one of the ten places available, candidates must be aged 16 to 18 and have five GCSE passes (or equivalent) at grade C or above, including Maths, English and […]

The new Jaguar F-PACE will be the first ever performance crossover from the famous British luxury and sports car manufacturer, and will feature technology designed to ensure it is the most rewarding driver’s car of its kind. The F-PACE will be specified with chassis dynamics technology adapted from the acclaimed Jaguar F-TYPE sports car, and offered with a sophisticated All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) system which delivers torque-on-demand. The world premiere of the Jaguar F-PACE will be at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Jaguar’s Vehicle Integrity team, led by sports car development expert and Chief Engineer Mike Cross, are currently engaged on development programmes designed to ensure the new F-PACE will offer an unrivalled breadth of dynamic ability.

This week we have decided to feature a video from one of most any car guy’s heroes, Jay Leno. This episode from Jay Leno’s Garage is entitled “Restoration Finished: 1966 Lotus Elan 26R”. As might be expected, it features a walk-through of the magnificent Lotus elan that Jim Hall rebuilt – this ultimate Lotus of his dreams is a tribute to one of the most wonderful eras in racing. The original Elan was introduced in 1962 as a roadster, although an optional hardtop was offered in 1963 and a coupé version in 1965. The two-seat Lotus Elan replaced the elegant, but unreliable and expensive to produce Lotus Elite. It was the first Lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. At 1,600 lb (726 kg), the Elan embodied the Colin Chapman minimum weight design philosophy. Initial […]

Anglia Car Auctions continued its 2015 run of mega-sales as just shy of 300 cars came under the hammer on Saturday 22 August, resulting in around 75% of lots sold and a total of £2 million. Top price of the sale was the £152,250 including premium paid for a 2001 BMW Z8. The bright red Roadster, which has been sold new to the Middle East, had covered 55,000km from new and was one of just 77 available in that colour. A 1957 Austin-Healey 100/6 that was part of a Danish collection made £49,350 and a 1962 Jaguar E-type Coupe was bought for £49,350, both with premium. The 1980s performance models continue to strengthen in popularity with a 1987 Cosworth Sierra with 33,000 miles from new, owned by the vendor for ten years, made £30,450 and a 1983 XR4i with 45,000 […]

An MG sports car owned and driven during World War Two by the RAF hero Sir Douglas Bader is expected to sell for £80,000 at auction. The fighter pilot, who famously flew in the Battle of Britain despite losing both legs, was the first owner of the Midget TA Roadster. He bought it in 1938, seven years after he lost his legs, registering the open-top car to his address in upmarket Kensington, West London. The British car was powered by a 1.3-litre engine which gave it a top speed of around 80mph – an impressive speed for a 1930s sports car.   Autocar magazine tested the MG in 1937, with motoring journalists saying it gives “an unusually good performance for its engine size”. When the war broke out Bader rejoined the RAF and became one of the heroes of the […]

The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW) proudly announces today, with the support of Bridge of Weir Leather Company, that the first inductees to the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame will be confirmed on 3 September 2015. The venue for the inaugural Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame presentation will be the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh, which will play host to the opening party of the 2015 Concours of Elegance on the evening of 3 September 2015. The Concours of Elegance is among the world’s leading classic car events, and each year is held at a Royal Palace; with this year’s being held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from the 4th to 6th September. Announcing the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame today, ASMW President, Alisdair Suttie, said: “I am so proud to be at the helm of the […]

The Texas MG Register will hold its Fall 2015 Gathering of the Faithful Thursday, October 15th through Sunday, October 18th in Tyler, TX. Anyone who has an interest in MGs, not just TMGR members, is invited. Registration and full details for this event can be found at www.tmgr.org. In addition to the car show, rally and awards banquet there are special events planned that only Tyler can provide: All MGs attending this GoF will participate in the 82nd Texas Rose Festival parade on Saturday morning, October 17th before the car show which will be held at the Tyler downtown square On Friday, October 16th everyone will have the opportunity to participate on a drive to visit two great car collections: the world’s largest Dodge Viper collection of Wayne Raugh; and Jerry Ball’s collection of cars primarily from the 50’s and […]

Our Video of the Week is entitled The Big Drive and features the 1966 London Motor Show with its push for export of British cars to help the economy. In addition to the fabulous cut-away rotating BMC 1100 in the first few seconds, this video also features such innovative cars as the Triumph GT6, Singer-Rootes Chamois, and the Ford Executive. Competing cars from makers such as Ferrari and Honda are also briefly shown. These cars displayed as new nearly 50 years ago in 1966 is an amazing sight, and the film footage is very clear. But just as amazing is some of the commentary and the displays themselves. Take a look, and be wonder and maybe chuckle – hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Nowadays affectionately known as the ‘Aunty’ Rover, the dignified P4 series of cars was launched in 1949 to carry Britain’s Rover company into the postwar era. Rover’s well-deserved reputation for building high-quality cars and the marque’s upmarket image ensured that the P4 series appealed to the company’s traditional clientele – doctors, solicitors, bank managers and others of similar social rank. Despite the rather staid image of the P4 series, over the years the cars had many interesting features like the original ‘Cyclops’ central headlight, disc brakes, a freewheel device and overdrive. The larger-engined versions were also rather nifty and could whoosh their occupants along at a very unauntie-like pace! Production continued through several model variations – but always with four or six-cylinder engines – until 1964. In the meantime, Rover experimented with gas turbine power units in P4 bodies and […]

The all-new Jaguar XF brings an unrivalled blend of design, luxury, technology and efficiency to lead the business car segment, underpinned by class-leading driving dynamics and refinement and impressive total cost of ownership. The dynamic, coupé-like design is formed around Jaguar’s aluminium-intensive architecture and combines the outstanding proportions, elegant surfaces and perfect lines which define all Jaguar cars, with a longer wheelbase, more interior space and exceptionally low aerodynamic drag yet in a lower and shorter body than the car it replaces. The cabin is a seamless blend of contemporary luxury materials and finishes, traditional Jaguar craftsmanship and state-of-the art technology, with features such as a reconfigurable 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster, laser head-up display and the InControl Touch Pro premium infotainment system – the all-new XF is the most connected Jaguar ever. “I believe the all-new XF is the best […]

A very rare McLaren F1 has became the most expensive British car after it was sold as part of a record-breaking £43 million fleet. The 1998 McLaren F1, part of the Pinnacle Collection featuring 25 super-important models from the past 50 years, sold for £8.8 million – nearly $14 million USD. This made the super-rare hypercar, built in Woking, Surrey, the most expensive British car to ever sell publicly. The McLaren, capable of more than 240mph, is one of only two road-spec F1s upgraded by the British firm to LM specification.

Whilst MG Triple Eight Racing’s Jack Goff was celebrating his debut win in his MG at the MSA Dunlop British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton, 19-year-old Ryan Sykes was getting to grips with his very own MG off the track. It’s not every day a customer’s new car is handed over by a racing driver, but for lifeguard Ryan Sykes that’s how he received his brand new MG3 last weekend (Saturday 8th August). Ryan is the son of the owner of Norfolk-based 5 Star Cases, one of Jack’s sponsors, and from the start of the partnership between MG and Jack, Ryan has been hoping to own one of his own. Ryan said: “My dad started working with Jack in 2013, but it wasn’t until Jack started racing for MG Triple Eight that I started looking at MGs and saw what […]

Lotus Motorsport redefines the Exige V6 Cup with the introduction of the Exige 360 Cup. New lightweight panels and an increase in power mean the Lotus Motorsport Cup model continues to provide a benchmark in handling and performance. The Exige 360 Cup bespoke styling signals an evolution in design, with an option of four colours (Metallic White, Metallic Grey, Metallic Black and Metallic Silver) and stealth matt black roof, front access panel and louvered tailgate. This design is a limited edition run of 50 vehicles and each of these special Exige 360 Cup cars will receive a numbered Lotus Motorsport build plate. This new model boasts an increase in power of 10 PS with freer flowing induction and a sports exhaust system, which combined with a low vehicle weight of 1130 kg gives an incredibly pure driving experience on road […]

Tigers East / Alpines East had a huge crowd at their Rootes United XXXIV in Dayton Ohio last the first weekend of August.  Nearly 90 Sunbeams and over 170 people attended.  Below is a time lapse video of owners leaving for the show last Saturday morning. Note the two Harrington’s in the first two parking spots. This show was held in conjunction with the Dayton British car show. With the 90 Sunbeam cars, they had a total of 370 British cars at the show which made a new record for them.  Another record for them was the long distance award which was given to a couple from the Sunbeam club who drove their Tiger from British Columbia 2800 miles to attend! Note: This report courtesy of Eric Gibeaut – owner of the first of the two Harringtons.

The countdown to the launch this autumn of the most attainable McLaren road car project yet, the Sports Series, continues with the start of the pre-production phase within the state-of-the-art McLaren Production Centre in Woking, England. This milestone marks the final stage in the development programme ahead of the global roll-out of the 570S Coupé; the first model to be launched in the McLaren Sports Series family. A short video documenting some of the stages of testing to date of the newest model in the McLaren range can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/erpQ8sWKFL4. Up to this point through the development programme, the Sports Series has covered in excess of 500,000 testing kilometres. These have been on a mixture of race circuits and roads, in some of the harshest conditions around the world including the extreme heat of the Arizona and Nevada […]

Concours of Elegance has confirmed the world-beating line-up of cars for its 2015 event at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, including an original 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost London to Edinburgh car. One of six Rolls-Royce cars in the main Concours event, this particular model was inspired by the Silver Ghost’s return journey from London to Edinburgh in top gear – mimicking the Concours of Elegance’s journey from Hampton Court Palace in 2014 to Holyroodhouse this year. During the return trip, the Silver Ghost covered around 1600 miles using only its top gear, carrying four passengers and luggage, and achieving 24.3mpg. It was this feat that helped cement a reputation for the Silver Ghost as ‘the best car in the world.’

We all started somewhere. That is fairly obvious, but where a lot of us started is with little cars. Very little cars – as in Matchbox and Hot Wheels toy cars. And quite frankly, I, like many of you, still have a nice collection of these wonderful miniatures. In honor of the toys of our youth – no matter the age – our Video of the Week this week is a 1965 piece on Matchbox cars. In the world of little cars, Matchbox were always the more authentic and real-to-life cars, while Hot Wheels were the concept, far out, and fantasy cars. What’s more, at least when I was young, Matchbox more often featured British motors while Hot Wheels had a distinctly American slant. Matchbox was introduced by Lesney Products in 1953 and is now owned by Mattel, Inc. The […]