Month: December 2017

Performance car title evo today celebrates British motoring success with the announcement of its Car of the Year awards, with the McLaren 720S being named both Car of the Year and Best Supercar of 2017. The coveted awards further recognize British brands, with the new Bentley Continental GT and the Lotus Elise Sport 220 named Best GT and Best Sports Car respectively. The evo Car of the Year awards (eCoty) recognize the top performance cars across ten key categories, from hot hatch to hypercar via every sector in between. The road testers at evo judge the cars on their on-road dynamics, performance and, crucially, whether they deliver the thrill of driving.

I teased it last week but to my surprise, you reacted with encouragement so this week our Video of the Week is about British model trains. The video we have below is one part of The Joy of Train Sets. Don’t worry, the other parts are linked further down. This 2012 documentary is from BBC Four’s Timeshift series. Fully titled The Model Railway Story: From Hornby to Triang and Beyond, this documentary explores how the British have been in love with model railways for more than a century. What began as an adult obsession with building fully-engineered replicas became the iconic toy of the 1950s and 60s childhood. With unique archive and contributions from modelers such as Pete Waterman, this is a celebration of the joys of miniaturization. Just don’t call them toy trains.

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) – the Liverpool-based manufacturer behind the world-famous Mono supercar – is confirmed for the Performance Car Show. Mono is the world’s only single-seater, road-legal supercar that’s earned plaudits around the globe for its blistering performance and one-of-a-kind characteristics, and it’s sure to enjoy plenty of attention from 11-14 January 2018. BAC will take pride of place on Stand 19410 at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), showcasing the 2018 Model Year Mono that includes a whole host of new standard technology – including a lightweight, lithium-ion battery. The 2018 Model Year Mono’s arrival at the Performance Car Show is its first ever public showing, making this another exclusive first for the event.

As a brand well known for it’s sporty character, MINI is set to further enhance its reputation with the introduction of a new transmission to the range. Extremely fast gear changes, a high degree of shift comfort and optimised efficiency – just some of the benefits of the new 7-speed Steptronic automatic double clutch transmission available for the MINI 3-Door Hatch, MINI 5-Door Hatch, and the MINI Convertible. Customers can now order this new transmission in conjunction with selected engine variants as an alternative to the standard 6-speed manual transmission. The double clutch transmission is operated by a newly designed electronic selector lever. Further enhancing the premium character of the vehicle, the new selector lever always returns to its original position after changing between driving mode D, neutral position N and reverse mode. The parking lock is activated by pressing […]

Morgan Motor Company has announced a technical partnership with industry leaders Frazer-Nash Energy Systems as the all-electric Morgan EV3 prepares for production in 2018. The EV3 extends Morgan’s truly unique offering. Industry-leading EV technology combines with a lightweight coach-built body to offer an unparalleled mix of craftsmanship and technology. Inspired by 1930s Aero-engine race cars, classic motorcycles, and 1950s fantasy automatons, the EV3 embraces new technology while delivering the raw driving experience and traditional British craftsmanship synonymous with every Morgan.

Christmas has come early for Aston Martin Racing, as the team received a special delivery in the form of Belgian GT and DTM ace, Maxime Martin. The 31-year-old has joined Aston Martin Racing to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship ‘super season’, which starts in Spring 2018. Paul Howarth, Aston Martin Racing Team Principal said: We’ve had an eye on Maxime for several years now, so we are delighted to welcome him to Aston Martin Racing. He is an exceptionally talented GT driver and he is the perfect addition to our high-calibre driver line-up.

McLaren Automotive is pleased to announce the opening of its North American McLaren F1 Service Center in Pennsylvania, United States. The new facility will offer maintenance and service on McLaren F1s located in North America, and is one of only two authorized service facilities outside of McLaren Special Operations (MSO) in Woking, United Kingdom. Operated by McLaren Philadelphia, the facility is separate from the main McLaren Philadelphia retail facility, located at a remote site in Pennsylvania, set up to ensure customer discretion and privacy. The North American McLaren F1 Service Center was designed to replicate the services provided by MSO at its headquarters in Woking and the staff has been trained by MSO in-house technicians on the complete F1 service experience, ranging from basic annual maintenance to full system refreshes and even major renovations.

TVR has released some big news about their factory. The folks at TVR say that the 200,000 square foot in Ebbw Vale will soon be echoing to the rumble and crackle of V8 engines as they head towards production. The Welsh Government announced officially yesterday that the site has been acquired and they are moving at high speed to get it ready for TVR. There has also been a mention of ‘facilities’ in the plural instead of just singular. More news is to follow on that. Les Edgar of TVR says the factory is more than ample in size to take care of their current and planned requirements as they expand up to full capacity over the next few years. They intend to make the factory an experience in itself – and once open, they will be encouraging all owners, prospective customers etc. […]

Jaguar has created a unique film, Blacklight, to celebrate the 70 awards won globally by the F-PACE performance SUV. The practical British-built performance family car counts the World Car of the Year 2017 and World Car Design of the Year 2017 titles among its 70 awards. Jaguar has celebrated this success with a unique film that dramatically captures F-PACE’s acclaimed exterior design and state-of-the-art engineering.

World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua visited the NSPCC center Boole House in Coventry, to surprise a group of children with a unique Christmas lights switch-on. Jaguar and Joshua are teaming up to promote the NSPCC’s ‘Light up Christmas for Children’ campaign by encouraging the public to share their #LightsOn selfie and make a donation to the charity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTQ0obWl49A Anthony Joshua’s festively-wrapped prototype Jaguar I-PACE was packed with gifts for the children at Boole House, where he arrived to pose for a #LightsOn selfie to promote the NSPCC’s campaign, and was quizzed by the children about his boxing career. He also toured Boole House to learn about the projects the NSPCC runs for children in the city.

McLaren Automotive, the creator of luxury sports cars and supercars, has awarded an international internship to a budding engineering student from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Following in the footsteps of Bruce McLaren, McLaren’s New Zealand born founder, Thomas Evans has been chosen to be the second recipient of the internship. Thomas is in his penultimate year of a Bachelor of Engineering degree at the Faculty of Engineering where he is studying Engineering Science. He will spend around nine weeks at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England where he will work alongside the company’s research and development engineers as well as gaining an understanding of other key areas of the business.

More than 150 talented future software engineers from schools in 16 countries gathered in Abu Dhabi for the Land Rover 4×4 in Schools Technology Challenge world finals. The bright young engineers, aged 11-19, used computer coding to programme miniature remote-controlled four-wheel-drive vehicles they have designed and built for a two-day competition at the Yas Marina Circuit. One of the challenges saw the vehicles negotiate a demanding course that wound its way over and through Land Rover Discovery SUVs.

Another landmark in Aston Martin’s ‘Second Century Plan’ was achieved with production officially returning to the company’s historic Newport Pagnell site. It marks a uniquely significant moment in which history has come full-circle, with a special run of 25 DB4 G.T. Continuation cars being built at the same site as the original DB4 G.T.s were made almost sixty years ago. Since moving to its purpose-built headquarters and state-of-the-art production facility at Gaydon in 2003, Aston Martin’s Newport Pagnell premises has exclusively been home to Aston Martin Works – the heart of the marque’s unrivaled heritage sales, service, spares, and restoration operation. Production of the Mk1 Vanquish ceased in 2007, but since that time countless classic Aston Martins have been restored to their former glory by the passionate and highly-skilled Works team.

Bette Hill occupied a unique position in Formula One history, as wife and mother of two world champion drivers. Her husband Graham won the title in 1962 for BRM and again for Lotus in 1968. Her son Damon Hill did so for Williams in 1996. Bette Hill, born Bette Shubrook on June 12, 1926, passed away this December 8, 2017. One of four girls born to a cricketer who also worked for The Times, and a mother who was ambitious for her children in the proper way, Bette and her sisters were achievers, and she understood the competitive imperative. One played piano, another was a champion schools swimmer, the third was also sporting, and Bette herself rowed for Britain in 1952 and 1954 and finished third in the European Championship quadruple sculls at Compiègne in 1954. Bette and Graham were married for 20 years […]

At the core of the new MINI brand identity lies an awareness of traditional values combined with the spirit of future-oriented development. This philosophy is also reflected in the visual appearance of the British premium brand, of which the central element is the MINI brand logo. The current interpretation of the globally familiar logo takes the form of a reduced design that focuses on the essentials. It will be seen on all current MINI models from March 2018 onwards. The new MINI logo draws on the three-dimensional style of depiction that has existed since the relaunch of the brand in 2001, applying this to a form of visual expression known as “flat design” that homes in on the key graphic elements. The preservation of the fundamental, tradition-steeped motif of a winged wheel with the brand name printed in capital letters at […]

Our Video of the Week this time around is, as the Monty Python phrase goes, something completely different. The video is of Veronica Lamond’s book “Landy” read aloud. This is the first volume in the Landy Books Trilogy – introducing ‘Landy’ and his friends. A charming story for young children who love animals and the great outdoors. Parents and grandparents love reading it too. The Landybook series engage children in diverse, real-life activities through the lovable, animated characters of Landy (1956 Series 1) and Fender (1999 Defender). This Landy story, tells of Jack finding Landy abandoned at the bottom of a field and they then start their new life together. This Land Rover book is perfect for children aged 1 right through to 99. A classic traditional kids book you will all fall in love with.

Porter Press International, the publisher of some of the world’s finest motoring books including the award-winning ‘Great Cars’ series, has launched a new entry-level book format under the name of Porter Profiles. The first book in this series is Austin-Healey 300 : The Story of DD 300 by Simon Ham. This more accessible series starts by taking readers back to the swinging sixties and the adventures of one of the most successful Big Healeys of all time – a charming story of a lost era told in 96 pages featuring insightful narrative, evocative archive photos, and new studio shots, all for a cover price of just £20 (currently about $27 USD). The Austin-Healey 3000, introduced in 1959 and manufactured until 1967, was relatively big and brutish for an English sports car. It was received affectionately in the UK but sold […]

In Jaguar Land Rover’s largest ever volunteering activity, more than 150 employees have taken part in the company’s first Mapathon event plotting roads, rivers and buildings across a sprawling area in the Kurigram District of Bangladesh using satellite imagery. The event marks International Volunteer Day and celebrates a 64-year partnership between Jaguar Land Rover and the Red Cross. Jaguar Land Rover employees join a global community of volunteers mapping areas where humanitarian organizations, such as the Red Cross, are helping vulnerable people. Bangladesh was chosen to support the Red Cross’ work in the area to implement disaster risk reduction activities and increase the resilience of communities.