Month: March 2016

In a first for MG Motor UK, the manufacturer is making advances in technology by giving consumers the opportunity to see its highly anticipated SUV using augmented reality. For those who aren’t familiar with this term, augmented reality is a way of superimposing virtual content into our everyday surroundings. This can be achieved with any electronic device that has a screen and a camera. Through clever technology, the device takes a photo of whatever you’re looking at and superimposes a 3D image onto it. You could be looking at a box that turns into a house or a new pair of shoes. In this instance, and more simply put, you can interact with the MG GS. This weekend (Friday 1st April to Sunday 3rd April), at the Gadget Show in Birmingham and the first race in the Dunlop MSA British […]

Goodwood is pleased to report that driver Michiel Smits is now recovering at home with his family following an incident on Sunday 20 March at 15.45hrs when his Lola T70 was struck by stray bodywork from another car causing him to crash. Commenting on the incident Michiel says he is “enjoying my own bed at home at the moment”, he added “my injuries are serious but will heal within 3 months, given the situation I am a happy person as it could have turned (out) much worse.” Michiel continued “The car will be repaired a.s.a.p. to be able to join races when I can. Further I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.” Goodwood wishes Michiel a full and speedy recovery.

A trio of British companies has produced the world’s first car chassis using butted tubing technology taken from bicycle production. Famous bicycle tube-makers Reynolds Technology, high-quality Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) consultancy Simpact and sportscar maker Caterham Cars shaved more than 10% off the weight of the already lightweight chassis of the iconic Caterham Seven. The research and development project unveiled a prototype Seven using the new technology and processes at the Niche Vehicle Network Symposium on Wednesday, March 16. Caterham believes that an ultra-lightweight Seven using the new technology would cost between £1,000 and £2,000 as an option on the standard vehicle but could be taken up by as much as a fifth of future Caterham customers. Reynolds, which first patented the process for making butted tubes in 1897, provided the tubing technology for the initiative and had to develop […]

Earl’s Court Motor Show of 1962, that is the subject of our Video of the Week this time. 1962 was a good year. Not only was it the introduction of the Triumph Spitfire and Mk I Ford Cortina, but it is the year before I was born. (Figure that one out on your own.) Looking at this video there are some great machines. Not only will you see the aforementioned Spitfire and Cortina, but you will also catch glimpses of the BMC Mini, Austin Cambridge, Morris Oxford, Morris 1100, MG 1100, Mini Cooper, Riley Elf, Hillman Super Minx, Jenson, Rover 3.0L, Ford Zephyr, Jaguar E-Type, Lotus Elan, and Bentley Continental.  Can you imagine a British car show with such a varied lineup these days? Wouldn’t it be wonderful? Oh, and have some have mentioned, please try to ignore the sexist […]

An automotive legend comes to Kuwait, with the official opening of the brand new Lotus showroom in Kuwait City’s Shuwaikh district, marked with the unveiling of the exhilarating Lotus Evora 400 sports car. The exciting new Lotus Kuwait facility, close to the SIRBB race circuit, is the result of a partnership between Lotus Cars Middle East, the distributor for Lotus cars in the region, and Alghanim Motors, offering new and existing customers the opportunity to experience the famous brand first hand. Officially opened today by Aslam Farikullah, Chief Operating Officer of Group Lotus plc, Mr Samir Kasem, Chief Operating Officer – Alghanim Industries and His Excellency Mr Matthew Lodge – British Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, the ceremony included esteemed guests, key media and senior management from both businesses. Joining the critically acclaimed Lotus Evora 400 at the new […]

Unfortunately, it looks like another magazine dedicated to our corner of the automotive hobby is biting the dust. In this case, it is Spitfire & GT6 Magazine which is/was a US based quarterly magazine of high quality devoted to the Triumph Spitfire, GT6, Herald, Vitesse and “small Triumph” crowd. In an open forum posting to the Triumph Experience message boards today, editor Shawn Frank said the following: I wish I had better news about Spitfire & GT6 Magazine but I regret to inform you that the magazine will no longer be in publication. I had sent Issue #49 to print September 2015 and have still not seen it in print. The Publisher (Magazinepublisher.com) has decided not to continue with the magazine and in fact has not communicated any future plans or lack thereof with me, the print house, advertisers, or […]

Abingdon Spares, L.L.C., the World’s Largest MG TC-TD-TF Parts Specialist has recently relocated to Deep River, Connecticut from its former Walpole, New Hampshire location. The new owners  purchased the entire inventory of new and used parts, tools, manuals, posters, assorted automobilia, even the shelving, basically recreating the former New Hampshire (MG) landmark in southern New England. “We moved all that was movable, quite a collection of rare and hard to find parts assembled by former owners”. Abingdon Spares carries everything that you would need to restore a  T-series MG, from engine parts, carburetor sets and parts, complete brake systems, suspension, wood framing, interiors and tops, and chrome parts. They also provide manuals, tools, specialty lubricants as well as the hundreds of small hard to find fittings, knobs, handles, etc. that go into one of these cars. They  source many of […]

The new Jaguar F-TYPE SVR, the fastest production Jaguar ever, has been put through its first high speed test drive with Fast and Furious star Michelle Rodriguez at the wheel. On a closed highway in the Nevada desert, home to the world’s fastest road race the Silver State Classic Challenge, the actress pushed the car to its top speed with the speedometer indicating 201mph – a personal top speed for Michelle. Michelle Rodriguez said: Driving this car was insane! I’ve now broken my personal speed record in the beautiful Jaguar F-TYPE SVR. Reaching 201mph felt amazing, the car drove really smoothly, all my corrections were minimal, I was super focused, and it really reacted in all the right ways. I don’t think I’d ever go this fast without a professional driver seated next to me, but oh man, it was an incredible […]

McLaren Automotive has been presented with the accolade of Manufacturer of Year in the 2016 BBC Top Gear Magazine Awards in recognition of the rapid growth and global success of the company, both achieved in so short a time. The announcement follows a ’vintage’ year for McLaren, its most successful to-date, with five new cars launched and another sales record achieved. McLaren also predicts 2015 will be its third consecutive year of profitability. Models across the three-tier McLaren range also received praise with the overall strength and breadth of the line-up highlighted as key to the award: ‘We’re not evaluating them as a product line-up, but assessing each in its own competitive environment. All of them are exceptional, arguably the very best in their class. That McLaren has got to this stage in such a short time frame speaks volumes […]

Aston Martin has launched its first recruitment campaign to find 1,000 employees, based across its two manufacturing facilities in Gaydon, Warwickshire and St Athan, Wales.  Aston Martin is investing £200M in new products and facilities, signifying its long-term future in the United Kingdom. The company will be holding an initial recruitment event at the International Centre for Aerospace Training (ICAT) in South Wales between 11:00-15:00 on March 30. Held in conjunction with Cardiff & the Vale College and supported by the Welsh Government, the event will showcase the various roles currently available at Aston Martin as well as future training / apprenticeship opportunities. Michael Kerr, Aston Martin Group HR Director said: ‘Our new manufacturing facility is an important part of Aston Martin’s Second Century Plan and it is crucial that we have a world-class team at the heart of our […]

The Rolls-Royce Dawn has earned BBC Top Gear Magazine’s coveted 2016 ‘Luxury Car of the Year’ award, just days after the international launch of the car began in the winelands around Cape Town, South Africa. The most uncompromised open-top motoring experience in the world, Dawn has won plaudits from some of the most highly respected international commentators, with many declaring that the new Rolls-Royce redefines the notion of a true super-luxury drophead. Dawn, the fourth distinctive model in the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars family, is powered by an effortlessly smooth 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine and features a multi-layer foldaway fabric roof that, when in place, makes the Dawn the world’s quietest convertible car. Addressing the desires of a significantly younger customer base, Dawn delivers timeless refinement and is the most social car the marque has ever produced. Naming the Rolls-Royce Dawn […]

Avon Tyres marks its renewed sponsorship of Castle Combe Circuit, in Wiltshire – in what is believed to be the UK’s longest-standing sponsorship at any circuit – by revamping the famous Avon bridge crossing the pit lane entry. The current deal takes Avon Tyres through to 75 years of association with one of the fastest tracks in the country. The rebranded bridge has been unveiled for the first club race on Castle Combe’s 2016 calendar, taking place over the Easter weekend. Avon Tyres, located in Melksham, just 11 miles from Castle Combe Circuit, was one of the first permanent sponsorships secured by the race venue, in 1954. Acting as the backdrop to many on-track battles over the past six decades, the Avon-branded bridge stands out as a recognisable and well-loved feature at Castle Combe. Famous names to have passed under […]

Strange how time gets away from us. I thought we had featured Jaguar Cars recently in our Video of the Week (VotW) series, but on looking back that proved not to be the case. I had to go way back into 2015 to find such a video. How could this be? So let us reconcile that now with a video with is a short history of Jaguar Cars. Of course nothing less that a full television series could possibly do the span of years of Jaguar justice, but this video does present a good overview of the highlights. https://youtu.be/4EpYshbd7A4 As most good British car buffs know, Jaguar as we know it was originally founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922. They originally made motorcycle sidecars before developing bodies for passenger cars. Under the ownership of Swallow Sidecar (S.S.) gave […]

Jaguar is to build the stunning XKSS as an ultra-exclusive continuation model. Nine new XKSS’s – often referred to by experts as the world’s first supercar – will be hand built by Jaguar Classic to the exact specification as they appeared in 1957, replacing the cars lost due to the famous Browns Lane factory fire. Tim Hannig, Director Jaguar Land Rover Classic, said: “The XKSS occupies a unique place in Jaguar’s history and is a car coveted by collectors the world over for its exclusivity and unmistakable design. “Jaguar Classic’s highly skilled team of engineers and technicians will draw on decades of knowledge to ensure each of the nine cars is completely authentic and crafted to the highest quality. “Our continuation XKSS reaffirms our commitment to nurture the passion and enthusiasm for Jaguar’s illustrious past by offering exceptional cars, services, […]

I don’t often post news or reviews that have basically nothing to do with cars, but this is an exception. Being as we here are all fans of British cars, I sense that that love of Britains expands out beyond the cars and encompasses many other things British – people, places, and history just to name a few. Bill Bryson, author and travel writer, has published a follow-up to his Notes From A Small Island from 20 years ago. The Road To Little Dribbling sess Bryson making his way by foot, car and rail from the south end of England to the far north of Scotland. Along the way, he observes not only the general English condition but makes note of things that have changed since the journey of his early book. What there is about cars in this book is […]

Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer has been selected to become an ambassador for the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign, an initiative that promotes British business, tourism and education around the world, showcasing the very best of what Britain has to offer. British luxury carmaker Aston Martin is already a partner of GREAT so it is fitting for the company’s CEO to spearhead its involvement. Speaking about his ambassadorial role with the GREAT campaign, Dr Palmer said: “Aston Martin is proud to be a British company that does business in the global economy. Just a few weeks ago we launched the new DB11 and we have already taken orders for 1,400 cars, which will be sold in both the domestic and export markets. “Britain is indeed a GREAT place to visit, study and do business so it is very easy […]

It will be ‘all aboard’ for the 110 competitors in this year’s Flying Scotsman Rally as they depart from a new terminus at Belvoir Castle on Friday 15th April for three days of glorious vintage motoring. The Endurance Rally Association’s critically acclaimed event will journey through the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Wolds, onwards to the North and beyond via Northumberland and take in some of Scotland’s finest Lochs and Glens before arriving at the splendid Gleneagles hotel. The cars and crews will cover almost 700 miles from Leicestershire to Perth and Kinross with many off-road tests and challenges set along the route to supplement the on-road navigational and regularity sections.

Resurgent British sports car maker, TVR, has announced today that its new production facility will be located in the Ebbw Vale Enterprise Zone in South Wales. The Welsh Government will also invest in the car maker, further enhancing this exciting manufacturing project which represents over £30 million of capital expenditure over the next five years. The contracts to locate the new TVR factory in Wales were signed on the 18th March and the deal was officially announced by Rt. Hon Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of Wales, during a press conference this morning. Currently, TVR is looking at several specific options for the precise location of the factory, the outcome of which will be the subject of a separate announcement in the coming weeks.