Month: May 2017

Our video this week is a bit different, as is the car in focus. This week we are featuring the Nash Metropolitan which many do not even consider to be a British car. In that aspect, it may have been years ahead of its time because it prompts us to ask, again, what is a British car? We start with a 1954 filmstrip for dealers ‘The Inside Story of the Metropolitan‘. The Metropolitan was also sold as a Hudson when Nash and Hudson merged in 1954 to form the American Motors Corporation (AMC), and later as a standalone marque during the Rambler years. Additionally, it was actually sold in the United Kingdom and some markets under the Austin brand.

McLaren Automotive has announced the promotion of Rob Melville to Design Director with immediate effect. He reports to Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Jens Ludmann. Rob joined McLaren Automotive in 2009 as Senior Designer, rising to Chief Designer in 2014. During his time at McLaren, Rob has worked on the McLaren P1™, the evolution of the 12C into the 650S, the 675LT, and was responsible for the Sports Series which won the ‘Best of the Best’ category in the coveted Red Dot design awards in 2016. Most recently he led the design of the 720S, the first model in the second-generation Super Series.

Robert ‘Bob’ Tullius is the founder of the famed Group 44 racing team, he won countless races, several championships and paved the way for sponsorship in modern racing. He is undeniably the best known and accomplished American racer of British sports cars. Tullius will be inducted on Friday into the British Sports Call Hall of Fame.

In June 2016, the P1 LM was launched at Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it became the fastest road car to tackle the Goodwood Hill. Over the past eleven months, as the five P1 LM production cars have been built, the identical prototype XP1LM road car has been testing. During the final phases at Nurburgring Nordschleife, XP1LM achieved a fastest lap of 6.43.2. After setting this new lap record, the car then drove directly from Nurburgring back home to the UK.

John Thornley, OBE was one of the founders of the MG Car Club and served as its first Secretary. Later, he went on to become Director and General Manager of the MG Car Company. John Thornley will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame in ceremonies on June 2, 2017.

Special plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the remarkable Jaguar XJ220 at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (28-30 July) have moved up a gear with confirmation that two of the key inspirational figures behind the sensational supercar, Jim Randle and Keith Helfet, will both be joining the silver jubilee festivities. As Engineering Director at Jaguar, Randle was the mastermind behind what is still the fastest, most exciting and most expensive road-going Jaguar ever created. Helfet was Jaguar’s senior sports car designer and the brains behind the XJ220’s stunning – and astonishingly ageless – styling.

Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) today announces the most powerful, agile and extreme performance Jaguar: the new XE SV Project 8. A prototype version of the 600PS Jaguar sports sedan offering supercar performance has now undertaken its debut test at the grueling Nürburgring Nordschleife, adorned with an exclusive camouflage created by SVO Design. 

Aston Martin Holdings UK Ltd is reporting record first quarter results as strong orders for its flagship DB11 model helped more than double revenues from £92.6 million to £188.3 million, with a pre-tax profit of £5.9 million reversing prior-year losses of £29.7 million. Demand for the DB11 sports car and other specialist models coincided with the company’s completion of a £550 million refinancing to enhance liquidity, reduce borrowing costs and increase financial reserves. Meanwhile, a strong retail performance and market share gains, particularly in the UK and China, reflect growing confidence and awareness of the brand.

The wait for the 35th America’s Cup is nearly over as Land Rover BAR, led by five-time Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie, prepare to battle in Bermuda for sailing’s ultimate prize. America’s Cup sailing, called ‘F1 on water,’ is faster, more competitive and more technically advanced than ever before. Reaching speeds of 60mph, these boats fly above the surface, pushing the boundaries of aerodynamics, control systems, data analysis and performance in the pursuit of optimum speed and efficiency.

John Sprinzel, one of the best-known racing and rally drivers of his era, won the British Rally Championship and his class at the 12 Hours of Sebring behind the wheel of an Austin-Healey Sprite. This “spritely” British auto racer and tuner will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame in Virginia next week.

The CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, Ralf Speth, has been awarded the top prize at the 2017 Autocar Awards, held in Silverstone’s iconic Wing building and headline sponsored by premium tire brand Vredestein. Speth was presented with the Issigonis Trophy, named after the creator of the legendary Mini, in recognition of his contribution to Jaguar Land Rover’s remarkable transformation following the sale of the brands to Tata Motors in 2008.

Aston Martin has claimed top honors at this year’s prestigious Autocar Awards, taking home the ‘Game Changer’ award with its bold new addition to the illustrious ‘DB’ bloodline, the DB11. The award, which celebrates cars that bring new, higher standards to their classes, or defy convention in a way that brings benefit to buyers, cements the importance of DB11 to the brand’s Second Century Plan; the British marque’s ambitious challenge of launching seven key new products in the same number of years.

Each year the British Car Club of New Hampshire puts on their annual Show of Dreams to benefit the New Hampshire Food Bank and the High Hopes Foundation. It’s a great show and this is the 21st rendition. However, registrations are lagging a bit from where they were last year and, while it’s  regional show, we would like to give this show and its charities a bit of a boost. Remember, 100% of the proceeds go to the charities—a bit over $7000 was raised last year to help feed hungry kids. David Townsend of Sports Car Art has attended for the past 4 years and it’s just a great show. He says that although the show is not huge (about 200 cars or so), it is very well run and a ton of fun. For more information on the show, […]

Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc (JLR), the UK’s largest vehicle manufacturer, today reported a strong fourth quarter to finish the fiscal year with solid results demonstrating encouraging demand for both new and established models in the period to March 31, 2017. Retail sales were a record 604,009 vehicles, up 16% on the previous year led by the 2017 World Car and World Car Design of the Year award-winning Jaguar F-PACE and continuing strong demand for the Land Rover Discovery Sport and other models in the Jaguar Land Rover portfolio. Retail sales were up year-on-year in China (32%), North America (24%), the UK (16%) and Europe (13%).

This just in from the BBC, AutoNews, FT, and numerous other UK news sources, British sports car maker Lotus is being bought by China’s Geely. A statement was put out by the Hangzhou-based company. There is no notice as of yet from Lotus themselves. The purchase is part of a deal by Geely to buy a 49.9% stake in Malaysian carmaker Proton, which owns Lotus. Geely, which also owns the London Taxi Company and Sweden’s Volvo Car Group, will take a 51% stake in Lotus.

The Bentley Bentayga Diesel has received the Star Award at the 2017 Autocar Awards, an accolade which celebrates the cars that have managed to achieve a five-star rating during the publication’s rigorous road test. Wolfgang Dürheimer, Chairman and CEO for Bentley Motors, comments: “The Bentayga Diesel embodies the finest craftsmanship and detail, while also demonstrating immense power and presence. Only Bentley can build a car this way, and this award is a testament to our talented and dedicated workforce in Crewe.”

Our video this week comes via our friends at Morgan. World War 1 fighter pilot and Morgan owner Albert Ball once remarked that his pre-war Morgan Three Wheeler was “the closest thing to flying without leaving the ground.” – Since that time, Morgan sports cars have been thrilling drivers around the world with their unique and exhilarating driving experience, be it on 3 wheels, 4 wheels or with the Aero. Their use, however, has never extended to a “race” between a Morgan and a plane, until now! Morgan’s latest video pits their fastest model, the Aero 8, against a Pitts S2S muscle biplane in a head-to-head airfield drag race.

Bentley Motorsport will return to Nürburgring 24 Hours for the third consecutive year this week as it aims for podium success with its three Continental GT3s. Working with European racing partners Bentley Team ABT, a division of well-known ABT Sportsline, Bentley is aiming for its strongest performance at the legendary “Green Hell”. To signal the team’s participation in one of the world’s greatest racing events, Bentley is unveiling the Continental 24 – a limited edition series of 24 bespoke models for Europe based on the Continental Supersports.