Month: May 2018

The revolutionary new Jaguar I-PACE will form the heart of an all-new zero-emissions luxury chauffeur service to and from Heathrow Airport. As many as 200 I-PACEs will be available at Heathrow as part of a deal with WeKnowGroup, creating one of the largest electric vehicle fleets in the UK. The zero-emissions chauffeur service will begin running in summer 2018 with the delivery of 50 I-PACE vehicles, along with the option to add a further 150. Having been designed from the ground up as a pure electric vehicle, the I-PACE has a compact footprint but spacious interior, with generous seating for five and their luggage. Paired with its near-silent electric motor and passenger conveniences – including six USB chargers and four-zone climate control – the I-PACE is the ideal luxury chauffeur car.

The results are in and for the fifth consecutive month, MG Motor UK is reporting record-breaking sales figures. According to results released by the Society of Motoring Manufacturers (SMMT), MG achieved 0.5% share of the new car market in April, its highest ever monthly share since its relaunch in 2008. Year to date MG is the fastest growing automotive brand in the UK and on track to double its sales volume this year. Central to the success of MG has been the All-New MG ZS. Stylishly-designed with 448 liters of boot space and lots of extras including Apple CarPlay, SatNav and Cruise Control the Compact-SUV is a tempting offer. With prices starting from just £12,495, the MG ZS is the best value-for-money SUV on the market.

Exactly 70 years ago this past Friday, a new brand was introduced to the automotive world with a showcase of three all-terrain vehicles that would be known as Land Rovers. And the rest, as they say, is history. A key component of that history, one of the three Land Rover prototype vehicles – L03 – will be shown at Land Rover Legends later this month. L03 was driven from London to Amsterdam by a young Ernie Bacon (son of Mr. Bacon – the then manager of Rover Company’s London depot at Seagrave Road in Fulham). L03 was ‘despatched out’ of Seagrave Road by Mr. Bacon on Tuesday 27 April 1948, and driven to Amsterdam by a young Ernie to join the Rover Company showcase, launching what was to become among the most iconic automotive brands in the world.

McLaren Automotive, the British creator of luxury sports cars and supercars, announces its newest retailer – McLaren Bellevue. Operated by OpenRoad Auto Group of Bellevue, Washington,  McLaren Bellevue provides the Pacific Northwest with a local touchpoint for sales and service operations, allowing clients and potential clients in the area easier access to McLaren’s renowned customer service experience. A new facility for McLaren Bellevue is under construction now and is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2019.  In the meantime, McLaren customers and fans in the region are welcome to visit a temporary showroom operating at 1882 136th Place Northeast, Bellevue, WA 98005.

With a stunning combination of raw speed and real-world ability, the Lotus Exige Sport 410 joins a line-up like no other to complete the Exige family of peerless sports cars. Starting with the revised Exige Sport 350, the comprehensive Exige range now includes the new Exige Sport 410 and culminates with the extreme Exige Cup 430: each at a distinct price point, performance level and degree of motorsport focus. Developed directly from the track-focused Exige Cup 430, the Exige Sport 410 is designed to be the ultimate road drive, unrivaled in its class.

Aston Martin Racing’s Vantage GTE has made its qualifying debut at the FIA World Endurance Championship’s season opener, the TOTAL 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, in Belgium. The new racecar – based on the critically acclaimed new Vantage – carried drivers Maxime Martin (B), Alex Lynn (GB) and Jonny Adam to P8 in the #97 entry, while the sister #95 car of Nicki Thiim (DN), Marco Sorensen (DN) and Darren Turner (GB) will start from P10 in the GTE Pro class.

Jaguar Land Rover Classic is accelerating its global expansion strategy with the opening of a brand-new Classic Centre in Germany – the first facility of its kind outside the UK. The new Classic Centre in Essen is directly operated by Jaguar Land Rover Classic, providing factory service in Germany. In addition, the company is also introducing a service to support classic car enthusiasts seeking pre-owned Jaguar Land Rover classic vehicles using the new ‘Works Legends’ online portal available at www.jaguarlandroverclassic.com/workslegends.

In our video of the week, Christopher Glancy’s tastefully refreshed Jaguar XJ6 Coupe makes Jay Leno envious with its lack of B pillar, comfortable seats, and British racing green styling. The XJC’s, otherwise known as the XJ Coupes, are a rare two-door version of the standard four-door saloons. When Sir William Lyons began styling exercises for the new XJ models in the mid-1960’s, it was clear that he had the notion of a two-door coupe in mind for eventual production. They were first shown in 1973 at the International Motor Show when it was announced that both 4.2 liter six cylinder and 5.3 liter twelve-cylinder versions would be available for the 1974 model year. However, production was delayed until the 1975 model year due to a combination of labor disputes at the Brown’s Lane factory and engineering troubles with the coupe […]

Legendary Jaguar sports car racers Andy Wallace and Davy Jones joined the Special Vehicle Operations development team at Goodwood Motor Circuit last month, declaring the new Jaguar XE SV Project 8 “absolutely staggering” and “a winner” after testing it on the fast and demanding UK track. British driver Andy Wallace won the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race in 1988 driving the Jaguar XJR-9 and was part of Jaguar’s victorious 1988 and 1991 World Sports Car Championship teams. The Goodwood test was the first time he’d driven the all-wheel-drive track-focused Project 8, which features a 600PS supercharged 5.0-litre V8 powertrain.

Aston Martin is to introduce a new generation of competitive Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and GT4 race cars to customer teams in 2019 that will be based on the critically-acclaimed next generation Vantage road car and the GTE version, set to make its debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend. The two new cars, designed and built at Aston Martin Racing’s headquarters in Banbury, will replace the ultra-successful Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 and V8 Vantage GT4, currently raced by customer teams around the world. The outgoing examples represent AMR’s most successful racing cars, and they continue to set the standards by winning races and leading championships in GT series around the world 12 years after the first customer car was purchased.

The new Aston Martin Vantage GTE will make its long-awaited racing debut in the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Super Season at the Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps this weekend (3-5 May). The Aston Martin Vantage GTE is based on the critically-acclaimed Aston Martin Vantage road car, the most performance-oriented sports car to come from Aston Martin’s ‘Second Century Plan’. Powered by a 4.0-litre, V8 turbo-charged AMG engine developed and optimized by AMR, the Vantage GTE is the first all-new GT car Aston Martin has introduced to the FIA WEC GTE category in seven years.

Aston Martin and Triton Submarines are pleased to announce the successful completion of the design phase for Project Neptune, and the commencement of the first production model ahead of its public unveiling later this year. Since the announcement of the creative collaboration in September 2017, Aston Martin and Triton have worked meticulously to refine the detailed design of the submersible’s hydrodynamics, body styling, and luxurious interior packaging. For a vehicle to wear the iconic Aston Martin wings, it must be equipped with all the performance, beauty and elegance one has come to expect from the British marque. To earn a signature trident, the submersible must be safe, reliable and offer its passengers near 360º visibility. The final design of the submersible is a testament to the extraordinary attention to detail of both design teams and reflects the complementary values of […]

The extraordinary hand-craftsmanship applied to the new Rolls-Royce Cullinan will be the subject of an exhibition of images captured by the distinguished portrait photographer, Cat Garcia, in collaboration with Leica Camera. Showcased during London Craft Week, the images will take viewers inside the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, revealing the meticulous artistry lavished on the most anticipated car in the world: the new Cullinan SUV. The images, captured exclusively on the camera brand’s flagship Leica SL, will show the men and women who can proudly claim that their hands built this remarkable high-bodied car.

TopSpeed has an interesting take on the upcoming Lotus SUV.  To quote, Lotus’ planned SUV is taking shape ahead of its scheduled debut in 2022. But, before things are said and done, the British automaker is reportedly keen on positioning its SUV as a luxury model, pushing it into the segment occupied by other premium SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne, Jaguar F-Pace, and Maserati Levante. More importantly, it might not be the only SUV to wear the Lotus badge. Not much more to say at the moment, at least not until the car becomes a reality, but stay tuned and we will bring you more details as they become available. One just has to wonder how many more SUVs the world needs – especially overpriced, luxury SUVs produced by sports car companies. Note: This article originally in part or total […]

Yesterday, five customers from across the globe drove their own DB4 G.T. Continuation cars at the home of British Motorsport, Silverstone Circuit. In 2016, it was announced that the iconic model would be celebrated with a special series of 25 track-only Continuation cars built to lightweight specification by Aston Martin Works at Newport Pagnell. Fittingly for a car created to celebrate one of Aston Martin’s most illustrious competition models, the DB4 G.T. Continuation was built to be enjoyed on track. Aston Martin Works have begun the two-year international track driving programme held at many the world’s finest race tracks, the first being Silverstone Circuit.

MINI UK is celebrating a key milestone with the 25th anniversary of the MINI Convertible, first on sale in 1993. The iconic vehicle is similarly celebrating another ground-breaking landmark as the bestselling convertible model in the UK. 1993 Mini Cabriolet The Rover Mini Cabriolet was introduced in June 1993, following a previously successful UK trial of the Mini Lamm Cabriolet in 1991. During the trial, German-based Lamm Autohaus removed the roof of the vehicle prior to sale in the UK and it was an instant hit with all 75 vehicles selling immediately – making it one of the rarest Minis ever produced. At launch, Mini Cabriolet cost almost double that of the 1993 Classic Mini and was available in two colors, Caribbean Blue with a Grey hood and Nightfire Red with matching hood, and featured new 12-inch diameter Revolution wheels […]