Month: September 2017

Land Rover has a new place at the heart of the world’s creative capital – a dramatic sculpture hat the London Design Festival. The installation at the Design Museum in Kensington offers an extraordinary insight into the Land Rover design philosophy of Reductionism that inspired the new Range Rover Velar. The sculptured vehicle is Land Rover design in its purest form; beautifully balanced volumes and proportions with stunning silhouettes that point towards future models.

Renault Sport Racing and McLaren Racing are pleased to announce they have agreed on an engine supply partnership for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons. The deal will see Renault Sport Racing supply McLaren with Formula 1 power units, while also establishing a close working relationship with McLaren’s engineers and technicians. Despite a combined Formula 1 presence that stretches back to 1977 (McLaren Racing has contested 814 GPs; Renault 591 in its role as an engine manufacturer), this will mark the first time that the two brands have ever collaborated.

On Friday 1st September, the Royal Automobile Club awarded its Club Trophy at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, to the glorious 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, also known as Nellie. The owner, Katie Forrest, was awarded the Club Trophy by Royal Automobile Club President, HRH Prince Michael of Kent, beating off strong competition from the best of the best of the UK car clubs who were invited to send entries. Katie said: I’m absolutely thrilled to have been awarded this honour. Nellie has been in our family for more than 25 years and I have so many wonderful memories to share. I named her Nellie because, when she first arrived with us, she was painted in a grey colour and, being large, reminded me of Nellie the Elephant! As part of the spoils, Nellie will be making an […]

Porter Press is delighted to announce the release of their latest ‘Great Cars’ book, number 10 in the series, Lotus 18 – the autobiography of Stirling Moss’s ‘912’. This lavish book tells the story of the car in which Stirling Moss achieved two of his most famous Grand Prix victories. The first World Championship race of the 1½-litre Formula 1 era introduced for 1961 was the Monaco Grand Prix and Ferrari’s powerful new ‘shark-nose’ cars were expected to dominate it, but Moss used all his craft and guile to take a celebrated win in his Lotus 18.

The FIA World Endurance Championship is ready for action in the Wild West; as the 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas is set to take place this weekend in Austin, Texas. After winning last time out in Mexico with the #95 V8 Vantage GTE, Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorensen will be hoping to continue that run of form this week and repeat last year’s victory in Austin; a result that catapulted their 2016 championship bid.

Caterham was in high spirits at the Goodwood Revival last week, as all 60 of its new, retro racer Seven SuperSprint sold out within an incredible seven hours. The SuperSprint, the second retro Seven unveiled in the last 12 months to mark the Seven’s 60th anniversary year, can now lay claim to be the fastest-selling model in Caterham’s history.

As part of Jaguar Land Rover North America’s continued commitment to supporting Veterans and Transitioning Service Members, the company today announced the expansion of its Veterans hiring program with CALIBRE Systems, Inc. across its retailer network in Canada. The first Canadian Armed Forces Veteran was hired through Jaguar Land Rover Edmonton in Alberta, Canada this month. The program, which connects skilled and experienced service members and veterans with employment opportunities at Jaguar Land Rover retailers in partnership with CALIBRE Systems, Inc., was launched in the U.S. in 2016 and has resulted in the hiring of nearly 200 Veterans to date. This program follows the recruitment of over 700 Transitioning Service Members, Veterans, and currently serving members of the National Guard and Reserve in the UK since 2013. Those interested may apply online at www.jlrvets.com.

GKN has agreed to a multi-year partnership with Panasonic Jaguar Racing, which will see the global engineering group provide design, manufacturing and consultancy services to the Formula E team. The official partnership was announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show, in advance of the 2017/18 FIA Formula E championship that commences in Hong Kong on 2 December, and continues GKN’s longstanding relationship with Jaguar.

You can never have too much of a good thing, and Aston Martins are certainly a good thing. Our friends at Take to the Road recently produced an excellent video review of a 1959 Aston Martin DB4, and we are featuring that review here as our Video of the Week. Make sure to check out their site for additional pictures and other great articles. We are going to quote from the Take to the Road review: Off all the British automotive brands that have come and gone, there is one that is guaranteed to stir the emotions. And that is Aston Martin. It is a name that evokes style, luxury and speed. And of course a certain fictional spy. The Aston Martin DB4 was never a Bond car but its design laid the foundations for the legendary DB5. It is […]

After becoming the first premium manufacturer to enter Formula E in 2016, Jaguar has created eTROPHY, the world’s first production battery electric vehicle race series. The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will be the support series for the FIA Formula E championship, taking place on the same weekends at the same city circuits, starting in late 2018.

Land Rover announces new additions to its Discovery range at Frankfurt IAA with the unveiling of Discovery SVX, the pinnacle of the Discovery family, and a new 2.0-litre petrol engine option to its S, SE, HSE and HSE Luxury models. Jeremy Hicks, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover UK said: The new Discovery SVX embodies the ultimate in adventure and capability of the Discovery family. Customers love the Discovery’s versatility and capability and we are delighted to offer UK customers even more choice with the addition of the Si4 300hp engine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2fofEZ72GY

Aston Martin Holdings (UK) Ltd, the producer of luxury handcrafted sports cars, today welcomed a decision by Moody’s Investors Service to upgrade its credit rating for the company. The upgrade follows the earlier change in outlook from Stable to Positive, as well as the publication of Aston Martin’s sharply improved first-half financial results.

The all-new Continental GT made its global debut at the IAA 2017 in Frankfurt today. Commenting on its unveiling, Chairman and CEO, Wolfgang Dürheimer, said: Today is a defining moment for Bentley Motors. Today we build on our recent success story and look to the future with a new car that will set new standards in luxury grand touring. Today we introduce a car that is the ultimate in extraordinary design, technology and innovation. When Bentley launched the original Continental GT in 2003 it established an entirely new market segment – the modern luxury grand tourer. Today, I’m convinced that we are redefining this segment again. It is an honour to replace a car that has – for 14 years – been the benchmark against which all other grand tourers are judged. The third generation of the legendary Bentley Continental […]

Prince William, HRH The Duke of Cambridge today visited McLaren Automotive, the pioneering British creator of luxury sports and supercars. He was given a tour of the McLaren Production Centre, in Woking, led by Mike Flewitt, McLaren Automotive Chief Executive Officer. Along the way, The Duke met some of the company’s 2,100 workforce who designed and hand-assembled a record 3, 286 cars last year, the majority exported around the world.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrated a successful Goodwood Revival with a significant presence throughout the weekend. This year, the renamed ‘Gordon Galleries’ recaptured the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of the marque’s glamorous premises in London’s West End during the 1950s with a stunning 1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Extended Wheelbase taking center place. Finished in black over red with a body by Freestone & Webb, the car was first presented at the 1956 British International Motor Show at Earl’s Court, London.

Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc is expanding the use of recycled aluminum in its car bodies to cut waste and reduce carbon emissions. The £2 million project, called REALITY, has found a way to enable the closed-loop recycling of aluminum from end-of-life vehicles back into high-performance product forms for new vehicle body manufactured in the UK by Jaguar Land Rover.

Caterham has unveiled the new, limited edition Seven SuperSprint at this weekend’s Goodwood Revival as part of its 60th-anniversary celebrations. Reflecting the anniversary, 60 SuperSprints destined for the UK and European markets go on sale today, completing the pair of special models that have topped and tailed the anniversary year. The similarly retro Seven Sprint was launched at the same event 12 months ago, with all 60 cars sold within a week, quickly becoming the fastest selling Caterham Seven to date.

Welcoming a new era in its history, TVR has unveiled its all new sports car, the TVR Griffith, at the Goodwood Revival. Revealed to media and visitors, the Griffith is the first new TVR to be launched since the company was resurrected in British hands. The new Griffith stays true to the brand’s rich heritage while employing cutting-edge engineering. The exterior has been designed to be as striking as it is aerodynamically efficient. The timeless sports car silhouette is accented with deep air intakes, generating high levels of downforce and cooling.