Month: February 2016

According to Road & Track, Morgan will show off the EV3, a new electric version of their 3-wheeler, at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The Morgan 3 Wheeler, one of our favorite anachronisms, is officially getting a modern reinvention. Morgan is set to debut a “near production-ready version” of the electric EV3 at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, according to Autocar. Morgan first showed off a prototype of the electric 3 Wheeler, shown above, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last summer. One of the biggest problems with any electric or hybrid car is the weight of the lithium-ion batteries, but Morgan claims to have shaved weight off of the V-Twin-powered 3 Wheeler. The prototype EV3 is said to weigh just 1036 lbs to the standard 3 Wheeler’s 1157 lbs, and Morgan claims the production EV3 will be even […]

British Auto Legends: Classics of Style and Design is purely and simply a gorgeous book. Sure, it is a coffee table book, but my god, it is such a beautiful coffee table book! This single work gives our lowly coffee table a reason to exist. This superbly illustrated book brings together more than fifty of the most significant British cars designed between the early twentieth century and the present. At well over 270 pages, there are over 50 of Britains most beautiful and significant cars covered. From the 1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost all the way up to Jaguars’s 1998 XK180, there are a good number of high-end cars featured that are not only beyond normal grasp but may never be seen in person. There are, however, a good number of more mainstream beauties displayed. These include cars regularly seen at shows and even […]

Aston Martin enthusiasts are in for a treat this Thursday, when West London official Heritage Specialists Nicholas Mee & Co. reveal their line-up of cars at the London Classic Car Show, the innovative ‘must-do’ event held at ExCel, London, from 18 to 21 February. Once again placed in its prominent, ‘pole’ position close to the main entrance, the company’s impressive stand will showcase a selection of carefully chosen Aston Martins, the Spectacular Seven. The Spectacular Seven include …

Bentley Motors is today announcing the introduction of a new model to its range – the Flying Spur V8 S. Taking its place between the Flying Spur V8 and family flagship W12, the V8 S is tuned for power and performance, with increased engine output and revised suspension offering a more focused, precise driving experience. The Flying Spur V8 S features a number of sporting styling cues which hint at its new and improved sporting capabilities. A black radiator grille and rear diffuser along with a unique grille insert give the new model a dramatic and purposeful appearance to match its enhanced performance. Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said: “The Flying Spur remains unrivalled in its ability to combine class-leading comfort with remarkable dynamic ability. It’s the perfect choice for the customer who wants ultimate refinement […]

Our Video of the Week this week is not just a single video but an entire channel. The MG Cars Channel was created by of David Shelburne of Shelburn Films. In David’s words, “there are lots of individual MG videos out there, on YouTube and others. But it’s not easy to find the specific videos you are interested in. What I am trying to do is create one place where people can go and find a large variety of MG videos to choose from.” This is the place to find videos about all things MG.  You can become familiar with the history of MG by learning about the various models produced through the years; start with “The First MG,” to learn that it was not the car we call “Old Number One.”  Follow the link at the end of each video to find […]

Proving that less is more, Lotus’ high performance Cup version of the famous Elise has shed 21 kg and gained 26 hp. Weighing in at 931 kg, and capable of 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, the Elise Cup 250 is the fastest road-going Lotus Elise ever. Replacing the acclaimed Elise Cup 220, the new Elise Cup 250 perfectly demonstrates the Lotus ‘light is right’ mantra as all vehicle components were optimised to add lightness and speed. Delivered to the marque’s now famous ‘Lightweight Laboratory’, it emerged with a range of features, including a Lithium-ion battery which slashes 10 kg off the weight, carbon fibre seats, reducing the weight by 6 kg, and ultra-lightweight forged alloy wheels, saving a further 1.5 kg. Designed to suit all sports car fans, the Lotus Elise Cup 250 is available for the first time as […]

Eagle has focused for over thirty years to refine, develop and deliver exceptional engineering for the Jaguar E-Type while remaining true to the spirit of this extraordinary car. The Eagle E-Type has often been described as ‘the finest hand-built car in the world’ and the reaction of the world’s press to the successive ‘special edition’ Jaguar E-Types developed in-house at Eagle has been rapturous.

The first owners of the Aston Martin Vulcan travelled to Abu Dhabi last week to receive world-class tuition from an elite team of racing drivers, led by Aston Martin Racing works’ driver Darren Turner. The Aston Martin Vulcan is the product of the luxury British carmaker’s extensive motorsport experience. There is no question that the track-only supercar demonstrates Aston Martin’s flair for design and now a select group of owners have had the opportunity to use the Aston Martin Vulcan for its intended purpose – as an exhilarating 820 bhp supercar, engineered exclusively for extreme performance on-track.

A Northern Ireland car dealer with over 100 year’s history is the latest to join the MG Motor UK franchise. T.M. Martin & Son is a well-known dealership in Killyleagh, County Down with years of history. Back in 1907, the family-run business was first established as a cycle manufacturer. Since then, the business has been loyal to selling Longbridge-built vehicles; so it seemed fitting for the family to bring in the latest range of MGs. John Martin, Dealer Principal of T.M. Martin & Son, said: “We’ve had an association with cars built in Longbridge for many years, so to keep the tradition going we wanted to get MG into our showroom again after all this time. “I’ve been working for the family business since 1961; which at the time made up three generations in the business. We have always prided […]

Leading members of the Bentley design team were at the German Design Awards in Frankfurt to collect Gold in the Transportation category for Bentley’s EXP 10 Speed 6 concept car. The German Design Council selects a panel of international design experts to judge the entries, and the awards are among the most prestigious in their field. They selected the EXP 10 Speed 6 for the Gold award as a result of its timeless, iconic Bentley design, clever use of new materials and aesthetic dynamism. Bentley’s Director of Design, Stefan Sielaff, was joined by SangYup Lee (Head of Exterior Design), Romulus Rost (Head of Interior Design and Colour and Trim) and Head of Modelling and Design Operations, Kevin Baker, at the award ceremony in Frankfurt. Panel judge, Johannes Barckmann, commented: “The designers of the EXP 10 Speed 6 achieved a fantastic […]

With a firm place on the motoring calendar, the family-friendly Cholmondeley Pageant of Power is one of the most-loved motorsport events in the UK. This year it’s shaking things up with a new name and a host of exciting features including a revised format. Friday at London’s Hurlingham Club, organisers announced that the ninth staging of the Cheshire-based event would be held under a new name encapsulating its roots – Cholmondeley Power and Speed.

BBC has announced that racing driver Sabine Schmitz, YouTube star Chris Harris, F1 pundit Eddie Jordan and motoring journalist Rory Reid will join Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc and of course, The Stig, when Top Gear returns in May. Eddie Jordan, once ran his own Formula One team with drivers like Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill on the roster. He said: “I have such enormous respect for all my fellow presenters and I politely ask that they go easy on these old bones.”

The British Motor Museum re-opened to the public today, Saturday 13 February, following a £1.1m refurbishment. Formerly known as the Heritage Motor Centre, the new Museum will be visually more exciting with an immersive display of British motoring history, designed to appeal to both current fans as well as new audiences. Also opening today was the new Collections Centre, allowing public access for the first time to an extra 250 cars from the reserve collections of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Heritage Trust. The Museum was officially opened by Managing Director, Julie Tew at 10am along with a live broadcast from Touch FM. Tew said, “We are delighted to re-open the Museum to visitors for half term. We have a packed programme of family events and tours and visitors will be impressed with the changes we have […]

Barons is adding three specialist auctions to its 2016 calendar, including a Rolls-Royce, Bentley and prestige classic car and memorabilia sale at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club rally at the magnificent Burghley House, Stamford, Lincolnshire. Entries are now invited for the sale, which takes place on June 25th at the RREC’s biggest gathering of the year. The three-day international Annual Rally and Concours d’Elegance attracts thousands of cherished Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, and their enthusiastic owners, from all over the world. “We were delighted to be invited by the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club to hold a classic car auction at their very special event,” said Barons’ director Peter Gascoigne. “Barons has a strong history with Rolls-Royce and Bentley at auction; for example, in 2015 we achieved £739,000, nearly double top estimate, for a 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback ‘barn find’ restoration project. Whilst […]

This isn’t an article about Jaguars, but I have been thinking a lot recently about them. Specifically a pre-2005 XK8. I need an adult daily-driver car with a bit of style and an XK8 seems like it would fit the bill nicely. As I do my research and price out the different years and models I inevitably began pondering the question of what else that same money might buy. In short order that led me to talk with some car buddies about the relative merits of the different choices. A variation on the “if I won the lottery” theme. Let’s stay that you had $10K to spend on a British car. The rules are that you must buy a British car with it that you will drive every day – both sun and rain, summer and winter. Of course, you could […]

Following the end of another incredible season of wheel-to-wheel racing in classic Listers, Lawrence Whittaker – CEO of Lister Motor Company – has presented the Brian Lister Cup to Tony Wood, Will Nuthall and their team for a sensational racing comeback in 2015 in the Woods’ family Lister-Jaguar Knobbly. Presented at a star-studded dinner hosted by the Royal Automobile Club, the Brian Lister Cup went to Wood following a herculean effort that saw his priceless Lister-Jaguar Knobbly repaired in less than 40 days following an accident before the season began. Wood and his team then went on to grab three podium finishes and fifth place overall at the end of the season.

The position of Bentley Motors as an employer of choice has been underlined after the company was recognised as a Top Employer for the fifth consecutive year. Bentley was awarded Top Employer for its commitment and dedication to the personal development of its 4,000 colleagues working at the Crewe headquarters. Employee conditions, leadership development programmes and recruitment processes were praised as some of the best in the UK.

Zenos Cars has begun production of the super high-performance Zenos E10 R, following the final sign-off of its suspension settings. The pinnacle of the E10 range is now being produced alongside its E10 and E10 S stablemates at the Zenos factory in Wymondham, Norfolk, UK. The Zenos E10 R is the third variant of the company’s widely-acclaimed E10 sports car line-up and uses a turbocharged 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine that produces 350 bhp and 475 Nm torque. With a dry weight of just 700 kg, the E10 R boasts 500 bhp/tonne, enabling it to hit 60 mph (100 km/h) from standstill in as little as 3.0 seconds. Yet with copious torque available across a wide range of engine speeds, its enormous performance can be enjoyed at all times.