Month: January 2019

The House of Rolls-Royce is extending its presence in Spain, reflecting the marque’s confidence in growing demand for true luxury products in the country. Located in the center of Barcelona, the showroom will be supported by a partner with significant experience in the luxury automotive sector. The new Barcelona showroom will serve a highly relevant market for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. In 2017, sales of luxury products and services in Spain rose by nearly 10% year-on-year – faster than anywhere else in the world thanks to the continued rise in entrepreneurial growth and overseas investment. Independent analysis suggests that the value of the luxury business in the country could double by 2025.

When it comes to our classic British cars, SU carburetors are one of the common denominators. Sure there are Zenith Strombergs, Amals, and others plus fuel injection, but the SU is the norm. And when it comes to SU carburetor experts, Joe Curto is the man. Joe Curto provides carburetor rebuilding. He also provides a full range of replacement and repair parts. and now, thankfully, he is making much of his knowledge available to us via videos on YouTube. Our video this week is a great introductory one with Joe discussing the different varieties of SU carburetors. After watching this you will not be able to stop yourself from going out to look at your car to make sure of what is bolted up to that manifold. Joe also now offers float bowl koozies. The koozies are used to prevent […]

Nominations are now open for the National Land Rover Awards 2019, the winners of which will be chosen at Land Rover Legends, the ultimate show for Land Rover connoisseurs, preservationists, restorers, and enthusiasts, taking place at Bicester Heritage, on 25th and 26th May. The focus of Land Rover Legends is on authenticity and originality, with the event featuring carefully-curated static displays of important Land Rovers as well as the National Awards for Most Original, Best Restored and Best Bespoke Land Rover. The inaugural event in 2018 attracted a very strong list of contenders for the Awards, and the judges had a tough job to determine the Highly Commended and overall Winner in each of the three categories.

On 26 August 1959, British Motor Corporation (BMC) proudly revealed a car that captured the imagination of the world and revolutionized the compact car segment. Six decades later, in 2019 MINI marks the brand’s 60th birthday and the extraordinary story of a British innovation that went on to achieve iconic status. To kick-start this anniversary year, MINI is introducing a limited run of 500 very special vehicles for UK customers. MINI is kicking off its 60th anniversary year with the introduction of a limited edition model celebrating the best of MINI. Just 500 examples of this worldwide edition will go on sale in the UK. The car features a new British Racing Green exterior paint finish, black contrast roof, exclusive 17-inch light alloy wheels, and a unique interior.

McLaren Automotive today releases first images and details of the third new model in its £1.2bn Track25 business plan – the McLaren 600LT Spider. The fifth car to carry the Longtail name, the new convertible fully embodies the McLaren Longtail philosophy of increased power, reduced weight, optimized aerodynamics, track-focused dynamics, and limited availability. In addition, it brings a new dimension of excitement over the 600LT Coupé, without compromise to the dynamic purity of the most performance-focused car in the Sports Series line-up: a retractable hardtop to give the choice of open-air driving. The McLaren 600LT Spider adds a new dimension of excitement to the most extreme model in the Sports Series family, while losing none of the Longtail focus. Taking full advantage of the strength of the carbon fibre MonoCell II chassis has ensured that the new Spider has dynamic […]

MG Motor UK is celebrating its biggest year ever after achieving record car sales in 2018. Figures released today by the SMMT confirmed that MG had reached its stated 2018 goal of more than doubling its sales volume versus the previous year.

Group Lotus is delighted to announce two new senior appointments to its executive team, reporting to Lotus Cars CEO, Phil Popham. James Andrew joins from leading automotive and luxury communications agency, Influence Associates – the business he helped establish in London with veteran international automotive PR, Stuart Dyble – now among the most sought-after PR and strategy consultancies in the industry. Previous to this James held senior PR positions at Jaguar Land Rover and in the technology and EV sectors internationally. He joins the Lotus executive team as Director of Communications, effective immediately.

McLaren Automotive’s latest Ultimate Series model to bear the legendary Senna name offers the purest connection yet between man and machine – without ever having to venture further than the kitchen table. The most extreme track-focused road car built by McLaren has been brought down to size, with interlocking plastic bricks replacing carbon-fibre, for the new McLaren Senna LEGO® Speed Champions edition. Like the real thing, the collectible model promises hours of engaging fun – although in this case for petrolheads aged seven and up.

Jaguar Land Rover, the UK’s largest vehicle manufacturer, today outlined the next phase of ‘Charge and Accelerate’. […]

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has achieved the highest annual sales in the marque’s 115-year history, with 4,107 cars delivered to customers in over 50 countries around the world in 2018, and continues to generate a positive contribution to its shareholder, the BMW Group. In a year of multiple records, the world’s foremost Luxury House also enjoyed unprecedented demand for its Bespoke creations and launched the new Cullinan – the Rolls-Royce of SUVs – to great international acclaim. Reflecting on the company’s performance for the year, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: 2018 was a most successful, record-breaking year for Rolls-Royce. We have seen growth in all our regions around the world. At Rolls-Royce we are deeply focused on each and every one of our customers and are delivering on their demanding expectations. The Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood is acknowledged and […]

Brabham Automotive is delighted to confirm the brand will return to international sports car racing and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Adelaide-based automotive manufacturer, which last year launched the record-breaking BT62 track car, is announcing its road to Le Mans. It has committed to a factory racing team and a multi-year motorsport programme with development work already underway. The team’s target is the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Endurance Championship season in 2021/22, where it intends to enter the GTE class. Fans will be able to follow the journey as it’s shared openly on social media under the hashtag #brabhamroadtolemans.

Lotus Cars has posted its strongest sales results in seven years with 1,630 cars sold worldwide in 2018. Concluding a landmark year for the company, 2018 saw Lotus celebrate its 70th birthday, new majority ownership from Geely, substantial investment in product development and new facilities, and a number of senior appointments, with respected auto and luxury-sector leader, Phil Popham, joining as CEO.

Jaguar Land Rover retail sales in 2018 totalled 592,708 vehicles, down 4.6% compared to 2017’s record year. The introduction of the Jaguar E-PACE and I-PACE led to Jaguar’s best ever annual sales results in 2018 up 1.2% to 180,833. However, this was more than offset by market weakness in China impacting on sales of established models. The lower sales in China (-21.6%) were partially offset by stronger sales in North America 7.2% and Overseas (7.3%). Weaker market conditions primarily relating to diesel and Brexit also weighed on sales in the UK (-1.5%) and Europe (-7.8%). The all new Range Rover Evoque has now been announced and will be going on sale later this year.

I would like to say “Happy New Year”, but first we must acknowledge a sad passing. One of our own and a fixture of both the British car hobby and the British car industry has passed away. Charles Runyan, founder and head of The Roadster Factory passed away Saturday, December 22 at the age of 72. Charles was also the founder of The Coventry Inn. In 1978, Runyan started The Roadster Factory in Downtown Indiana before moving it out to Armagh. His love of British culture also extended into the restaurant field as he was the driving force behind The Coventry Inn, a replica of a British pub which was open for 25 years in Downtown Indiana. It closed in September due to a lack of employees. I do not need to tell any of you how much Runyan and […]