Month: May 2018

Our video this week comes from our friends over at Take to the Road. In fact, the featured car, a Vauxhall Viceroy, belongs to the site’s own Niall Julian. He told me this about his car and the video: I own a 1982 Vauxhall Viceroy, a car that I doubt many in N America have ever heard of, despite the General Motors connection. It was a mid range luxury saloon, based on the Opel Commodore C from West Germany. The car was first registered to Vauxhall UK in Luton and a couple of weeks ago I took the Viceroy back to where its journey first started. I went to the Vauxhall Heritage Centre and also got some shots outside the factory in Luton. How could I resist a car going back to its home? In the article on Take to the Road, […]

Joe Osborne’s first win as a McLaren Automotive Factory Driver was the headline in what turned into one of the most successful weekends in McLaren’s British GT Championship history, the 570S GT4 scoring both class wins and podiums at Snetterton. In the first race on Sunday morning, Osborne led home a one-two finish for customer Tolman Motorsport and the McLaren 570S GT4. Osborne’s car, which he shares with David Pattison, started the race sixteenth but quickly climbed the order to tenth before the safety car was called into action just a handful of minutes before the pit window opened. With the field bunched up, and the opportunity to pit coming under safety car, almost the entire field came in including Pattison, who handed over to Osborne.

Land Rover has enhanced its record-breaking Discovery Sport range with a new special Landmark edition. The new Landmark Edition salutes Discovery Sport’s success as the fastest-selling Land Rover of all time – coinciding with the brand’s year-long 70th-anniversary celebrations. Powered by Land Rover’s TD4 180PS diesel Ingenium engine, Landmark offers customers the best of the Discovery Sport range with a unique color and trim combination.

Edd China is set to return to our screens with a brand-new collaborative and real-time restoration series on YouTube. The former ‘Wheeler Dealers’ star has joined forces with long-time friend Al Cox for ‘Built by Many’, in which the intrepid duo will work with the audience to rebuild a 1968 Jaguar E-type Series 1 fixed-head coupé. Along the way, they will be delivering a wealth of ‘how to’ videos, plus a back-story on the car and the history of the legendary marque.

Abingdon Spares is happy to announce that they have recently acquired Restoration Decal, the vintage decal enterprise of the well known automotive artist and illustrator David Townsend. Abingdon Spares is now your exclusive source for vintage decals for your British car restoration. These beautifully reproduced decals are printed in the most accurate colors and designs, printed on 3M ControlTac and laminated for durability, giving you years of excellent service. They are guaranteed to add that finishing touch to your project. Restoration Decals are accurate reproductions of labels and decals that are so often missing or damaged on older classics. Now you can complete the restoration of your classic MG, Austin Healey, Triumph, Jaguar and many other classic British automobiles with these exact replicas of the factory installed decals. You can see all the decals that are available at on the […]

As part of a major restructure of Jaguar Land Rover global Marketing, Sales, Service and Public Relations functions, Jaguar Land Rover UK announces Rawdon Glover as UK Managing Director. Jeremy Hicks remains with the business to take up a new position of (Global) Market Performance Director. Effective 2nd July Anthony Bradbury Global Marketing Communications Director has been appointed to the position of UK Marketing Director with Scott Dicken taking up the role of UK Sales Director. Rawdon Glover said: I am delighted to be taking the role of Managing Director for Jaguar Land Rover UK at such an exciting time for the industry. There is so much opportunity to take advantage of with the advent of our electric revolution alongside the introduction of exciting new vehicles and continued development of our retailer network. I can’t wait to get started. With an […]

A recent data breach revealed the records of hundreds of employees at Jaguar Land Rover’s factory in Solihull, England. This breach, which was first reported by the Huffington Post, included employee names as well as personnel issues such as sick days used and disciplinary issues. What is worse, the records were also flagged to indicate who might be let go during the company’s upcoming layoffs. In a bit of a public relations snafu, instead of accepting blame and attempting to apologize for the data breach, JLR initially denied the reports calling them “fake news”.  Obviously, employees are none-too-pleased. As we reported last month, Jaguar Land Rover is planning to cut approximately 1,000 manufacturing jobs due to the diesel scandal and falling sales numbers. The company is cutting the jobs at the Birmingham factory that manufactures the Jaguar F-Pace, Land Rover Discovery, and […]

The Brabham BT62 has been designed and engineered to conquer the track and reward its driver with blistering lap times. In a video released today, the BT62 is seen lapping Australia’s Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit at incredible speeds during its extensive pre-launch testing programme, with Managing Director and multiple Le Mans winner, David Brabham, behind the wheel.

McLaren Automotive today celebrated the manufacture of its 15,000th car at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey, just seven years after production first began. The 15,000th car, a 570S Spider in Curacao Blue from the company’s Sports Series family, represents a further significant milestone for the British sportscar and supercar brand and comes less than 18 months after the 10,000th car was completed in December 2016.

Land Rover has announced a host of enhancements to the award-winning Range Rover Velar including a broader engine choice, the latest intelligent safety technology and more features such as air suspension and adaptive dynamics now available as options. The Velar now has a D275 engine option, a 275PS 3.0-litre V6 diesel, producing 625Nm of torque. The new D275 enhances the options across the range and enables customers the flexibility to specify the perfect car for them. 

McLaren Automotive is confirmed this past week that former professional racing driver Kenny Brack has joined the British luxury high-performance sportscar and supercar company as Chief Test Driver. Brack, 52, who has 35 years of experience in motorsports including as a racing driver in IndyCar, CART, F3000 and rallying and a test driver in Formula 1 and NASCAR, will be responsible for leading the dynamic development of all McLaren road cars. He will report to Dr. Jens Ludmann, Chief Operating Officer, McLaren Automotive.

InMotion Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s venture capital arm, today announced its investment in FATMAP, the leading platform for outdoor adventure lovers and mountain professionals with cutting-edge global 3D mapping technology. The investment from InMotion Ventures, along with Episode 1 and Capnamic Ventures, will support FATMAP with their global ambition to become a key destination for adventure and outdoor activities. Skiers, hikers, trail-runners, mountain-bikers, and climbers can all use FATMAP technology to navigate the off-road world more easily.

The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY racecar charged ahead as it made its global debut in Berlin this past Saturday. Founder and CEO of Formula E Alejandro Agag had the honor of marking this historical moment alongside Jaguar Racing as he drove the racecar around the iconic Tempelhof Circuit. Alejandro Agag put the eTROPHY racecar through its paces on the track and completed five laps in front of the crowds in Berlin. While demonstrating its dynamic capabilities, the eTROPHY racecar gave a glimpse of the future of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship to a global audience.

Englishman David Hobbs – Hobbo to his friends and fans – is one of motor racing’s most remarkable all-rounders. In a 31-year driving career he raced in almost every imaginable category: endurance sports racers, touring cars, Formula 1, Formula 5000, Indycars, IMSA, Trans-Am, Can-Am and even NASCAR – he has done the lot. And on top of that, he has been a television commentator in America for nearly 40 years, bringing wit and wisdom to the screen most recently as part of NBC’s Formula 1 team. Now, at last, he has put down all his experiences in this highly readable memoir that will be welcomed by racing enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic. • Early racing years: from his mum’s Morris Oxford in 1959 to Jaguars and a Lotus Elite – and coming to the notice of the racing […]

MINI USA today announced the official list of sponsors for MINI TAKES THE STATES (MTTS) 2018. The biennial road rally for MINI owners will take place from July 14 – 22, starting simultaneously from Orlando, Fla., and Portland, Ore., and ending at Keystone Resort in Keystone, Colo. Earlier this year, MINI USA announced that Feeding America is again the Official Charity Partner of MTTS 2018. This summer’s rally will see the return of several sponsors from the 2016 rally, Shell V-Power ® NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline,  Pennzoil with PurePlus™ Technology motor oil and Pirelli®, which offers MINI approved star marked tires. New sponsors to the MTTS rally include KIND® Snacks, MapQuest, who will for the first time bring a custom turn-by-turn navigation application to MTTS, and Harman Kardon.

From the old to the new – the very new. Our Video of the Week this time features the brand new Brabham BT62 and its unveiling in London on May 2. In addition to unveiling the new car, the background of the new Brabham logo was discussed. To understand the history of Brabham automotive and the late Jack Brabham’s role in racing and autosport, check out the comprehensive timeline on the Brabham Automotive site. First, in regards to the logo, it is Derived from the ‘V’ that so prominently featured on the badges of Brabham’s Repco-powered championship-winning racers from the 1960s, and the fangs from the iconic ‘Hissing Sid’ snake that was synonymous with Brabham’s Ecclestone-era Formula 1 cars, the bold new emblem echoes the marque’s rich heritage with a sharp, strong and engaging device that embodies the Brabham attitude: […]

Jeremy Hicks, the managing director of Jaguar Land Rover in the UK has accused the government of scaring off car buyers and damaging the motor industry with its lack of clarity on vehicle emissions and car taxation policy. Addressing delegates at CDX – the UK’s largest motor trade expo – Hicks said the government’s failure to make its position clear was causing consumers to ‘hold off’ their next car purchase and directly responsible for falling car sales.

Aston Martin Holdings (UK) Ltd., the producer of highly desirable luxury handcrafted sports cars, today reported a 3% rise in first-quarter adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) to £43.7 million, representing an EBITDA margin of 24% on revenues of £185.4 million. For the three months to 31 March 2018, the Company achieved positive pre-tax profits of £2.8 million as strong demand continued for the recently launched DB11 V8 twin-turbo coupe and Volante models.