Month: March 2016

Jaguar Land Rover has announced the expansion of its wearable technology solutions with the introduction of its remote functions app to Android Wear watch. The new Android Wear app introduces a suite of connected features, including the ability to activate climate control settings by remotely starting the engine, keeping you cool before setting off. The new Android Wear watch app also allows customers to check their vehicle’s fuel level, monitor its location and remotely lock and unlock the doors to let a friend or family member access the vehicle when the owner isn’t close by. The Android Wear watch app was revealed at the Wearable Technology Show 2016 as part of a wider demonstration of Jaguar Land Rover’s Digital and Connected Car Technologies. Showcasing these wearable solutions on the Jaguar Land Rover stand was Jaguar’s all-new performance crossover, the F-PACE. […]

Jaguar Land Rover is delighted to announce the renaming of its Heritage business to Jaguar Land Rover Classic. The rebranded division will continue to provide cars, services, parts and experiences for Classic Jaguars and Land Rovers and their owners. Tim Hannig, Director, Jaguar Land Rover Classic, said: “Renaming the rapidly growing global business to Jaguar Land Rover Classic best reflects the division’s overall capabilities in providing the best cars, services, parts and experiences for our customers. We aim to build an even more successful future by celebrating and nurturing Jaguar and Land Rover’s past.” Jaguar Land Rover Classic can now accommodate full restorations of classic vehicles at its UK sites, as well as providing a repair and maintenance service for customers.

I have to tell you honestly, I fell in love with this book. How many car books can you honestly say that you read passages out of to your wife and daughter, and they were amused. Interested even. Sorry, but that just doesn’t happen in my house. Making A Morgan By Andreas Hensing, hits the ball out of the park in so many ways it is hard to know where to start. The book starts with the requisite short history of the Morgan car company, its founders, and the cars they have produced over last 100 plus years. All that is really good stuff, but the meat of the book is what comes next.  Hensing visits the factory at Malvern and follows the production of a car through its entire production cycle from the moment of conception – the build sheet, all […]

MINI USA today announced that registration for MINI TAKES THE STATES 2016 (MTTS) is now officially open. MINI owners looking to participate can now register at MINITAKESTHESTATES.com. The adult registration fee is $40 for a single city ticket, which includes an evening and morning event in one city, or $75 for a multi-city ticket, which includes access to any and all MTTS events. Children under 12 are free. Information regarding hotel accomodations is also available on the site. In addition, MINI USA has named Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization dedicated to fighting domestic hunger through a network of food banks, as the Official Charity Partner of the legendary cross-country road rally. Similar to years past, a portion of the proceeds from each registration fee will be donated to Feeding America. “MINI TAKES THE STATES is the most anticipated […]

A Jaguar XJ driven by leading movie stunt driver Mark Higgins took on one of the world’s best drone pilots in a unique ‘cat-and-mouse’ challenge that showcased how future technology could influence car chase filming.  With one eye on a future potential movie stunt sequence, Higgins and drone pilot and racer JaeHong Li used the challenge to highlight how technology is developing in both the automotive and unmanned aircraft sectors. The development of advanced driver assistance systems with radar sensors and on board cameras is closely aligned to the development of technology in drones, which are now being used for everything from racing to autonomous parcel delivery. “Drones are becoming increasingly integrated into society and they can do some amazing things these days,” said Higgins, who is also a champion rally driver. “So when Jaguar offered up the XJ and […]

Aston Martin and Formula One team Red Bull Racing have announced a partnership which sees Red Bull Racing’s Chief Technical Officer, Adrian Newey and Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman collaborate to produce a ground-breaking Aston Martin hypercar. Codenamed Project ‘AM-RB 001’, the new hypercar will represent the ultimate blend of cutting edge F1TM technology with Aston Martin’s signature sports car design. The combined talents of Newey, widely noted as the most successful Formula One designer of all time, and Reichman, Aston Martin’s design chief since 2005, are set to produce the ultimate hypercar. Combining the strongest elements of Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and Aston Martin, this new Innovation Partnership unites the world’s best aerodynamicists, composite experts and manufacturing masters. All the parties offer different elite capabilities and the combination of all of those skills, ensuring […]

Our video this week takes you back, way back. Back to the 1930s when MGs were fierce competitors in racing around Europe and the world, and the Midget, the original Midget, was the car to beat. This film, titled “The Magic Midget” was produced by British Leyland to celebrate the racing pedigree of the MG and possibly transfer some of that aura of speed and success to the more modern incarnation of the MG Midget. From its earliest days MGs have been used in competition and from the early 1930s a series of dedicated racing cars such as the 1931 C-Type and 1934 Q-type were made and sold to enthusiasts who received considerable company assistance. This stopped in 1935 when MG was formally merged with Morris Motors and the Competition Department closed down. A series of experimental cars had also […]

The Morgan Motor Company and University of Wolverhampton today (15/03/2016) announced a partnership between the two organisations that will enhance student experience and future product development through motorsport. The collaboration will see the University and Morgan, the oldest privately owned motor manufacturer in the world, team up to provide engineering students with a range of activities and opportunities including educational programmes, research and development and motor racing. UWR (University of Wolverhampton Race Team) students will have the opportunity to work alongside Morgan craftsmen and women as they take part in the 2016 AR Motorsport Morgan Challenge Series. Running a University liveried Morgan Plus 4 Babydoll, the students will attend every race meeting as well as preparing and testing the car from their Telford Innovation campus in Priorslee.

McLaren Automotive has announced two new track-dedicated models of the recently-launched Sports Series: the 570S GT4 and the 570S Sprint. Developed in conjunction with McLaren GT – the motorsport division of McLaren Automotive – and GT racing specialists, CRS GT Limited, the 570S GT4 will now enter an intensive season-long development programme in the British GT championship. McLaren GT and CRS GT Limited will work with recently confirmed customer team Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse, with the 570S GT4 competing in the full nine-round calendar, including the famous Spa-Francorchamps. The programme will be a rigorous testing schedule in live race environments. The 570S Sprint, which will be revealed in the coming weeks, will be dedicated for private trackdays and is therefore unrestricted by racing regulations. However, 570S Sprint owners will be able to upgrade to GT4 specification.

This summer’s Silverstone Classic will build on the record breaking success of the 2015 special Silver Jubilee extravaganza which attracted more than 100,000 visitors for the first time in the stand-out event’s 25-year history. The ever-growing appeal of the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival, staged at Britain’s premier motorsport venue, powers a virtuous circle which will see even better visitor attractions and facilities in 2016.

The LEGO Ideas program is a fantastic grassroots inspiration for future LEGO kits. It lets anyone submit a design for a new LEGO kit, and if the project gets 10,000 votes within a year, it gets reviewed by the company for possible sale. That happened with this neat Caterham Super Seven model, and we’re excited to tell you it will be available in stores, or at least LEGO’s online store, sometime soon. To quote the model’s designer, A kit of a kit car! After many requests to add this here and conversations with fans and designers, this may well just be possible with some structural compromises. My proposal is to put these models forwards as the intial concept, and to update over the next 12 months with the compromises that I can see would have to be made to make […]

Following the successful UK market launch of the MINI Clubman in October 2015, and the recent announcement of the MINI Clubman ALL4, MINI UK is adding a new model to the range – the MINI One D Clubman. Retaining the high specification offered across the MINI Clubman range, including MINI Navigation, DAB, Bluetooth, Cruise control and MINI Connected on every car, the new MINI One D Clubman will be of particular interest to fleet and business customers, with this latest model emitting 99g/km* CO2 on the combined cycle. As such, company car drivers will benefit from a low BiK rate of 17% on the MINI One D Clubman in the 2015-16 tax year. The car’s much-loved signature design feature – its split rear doors – are retained on this model, while accessibility and everyday usability are further enhanced thanks to […]

A 1963 Jaguar E-Type found under a hedge in the village of Bisley in Surrey sold for £58,000 at COYS Spring Classics auction in London. Chris Routledge, CEO of international auctioneers COYS, said: “We were encouraged by strong results achieved across the board and the number of registered bidders joining us and bidding in the room – it’s always good to see the market is as active as ever.” He added: “The derelict E-Type attracted attention from all four corners of the world and bidders in a packed auction room and via telephone fought fiercely for it on Tuesday night. It ended up going to an English collector and Beatles enthusiast who plans to slowly restore it to its former glory.” The E-Type showed just 44,870miles on the clock and still had the last tax disc on the windscreen which […]

Following its spectacular inaugural Blenheim Palace event, Salon Privé returns in 2016 as the UK’s leading luxury super and classic car show. With the total number of visitors topping 11,000 over three days, the success of the 2015 event coincided with Salon Privé’s 10th anniversary and firmly cemented its position on the luxury and automotive calendar. Basking in the splendour of the baroque palace, 2016’s three-day line up has something for everyone including; crowning the finest classic cars, celebrating high-fashion and experiencing modern-day supercars at close quarters. Showcasing the very best that the automotive world has to offer, Salon Privé offers its guests unrivalled access to some of the most exclusive modern and classic automobiles, as well as the very latest models presented by leading marques such as Abarth, Ferrari, Jaguar Land Rover, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini and Pagani to name but […]

Caterham Cars has expanded its UK dealer network with the launch of the BookaTrack Caterham showroom at Donington Park race circuit. The new showroom, based at one of Britain’s premier circuits, will sell Caterham’s full five model UK range of lightweight sportscars, as well as offering a full range of aftersales activities, including service, warranty and parts support. Caterham’s Experience day activities will be housed at the new facility, relocating from Silverstone to Donington Park. To celebrate the showroom launch, BookaTrack held a launch event on Saturday 5th March with a range of on and off track activities at Donington Park. Attendees were able to enjoy drifting action, with the Caterham Drift Experience, and test drives in a range of Caterham models, including the recently released Seven 620S. Graham Macdonald, Caterham Cars CEO, and Christopher Tate, Donington Park Managing Director, […]

MG Triple Eight Racing has signed Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton for the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), each driving a works-supported MG6. Cook, 2014 Renault UK Clio Cup runner-up, made his debut in the BTCC last year with Power Maxed Racing. Cook caught the eye at both Donington Park and Rockingham as he duelled for the lead, reached the podium and posted a fastest race lap – he carried on this form and went on to clinch victory in the Jack Sears Trophy come season’s end. “I’m over the moon to be working with a team and manufacturer that has such heritage,” said Cook. “I have worked extremely hard since the end of last season to get back on the grid – it was the only place I wanted to be. I now have an important job […]

Our Video of the Week this go-round is on the story of an often forgotten car from a seldom remembered brand in the US – the Rover SD1. Rover and British Leyland were beset by problems in the mid-1970s. Out of this cauldron of mismanagement came the Rover SD1 in 1976. It was called SD for the Specialist Division and 1 for the first car to come from the in-house styling department. Despite a dramatic, innovative design both inside and out, the option of classic V8 grunt, and more or less universally praised dynamics, the SD1’s reputation and its longevity suffered at the hands of a company in meltdown. And it could all have been so different. The car, which was styled by Rover’s design genius David Bache, had some grand ambitions. It had been designed to look like a […]

NOTE: This contest is now closed and Thomas Inwood is the winner. A new contest will be coming soon!