Archive

Defending Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour Champions Tekno Autosports claimed a hard-earned top five finish, and a podium in the Pro class, in the 2017 edition of the race. McLaren Factory Drivers Rob Bell, Côme Ledogar and Alvaro Parente staged a valiant never-say-die effort in the #1 650S GT3 at Mount Panorama, Australia after early setbacks left the trio at the back of the field.

Bentley Motorsport has finished in third place in the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, Bathurst 12 Hours, in a race that was packed with dramatic action from the outset. The #17 Continental GT3 piloted by the all-British trio of Guy Smith, Steven Kane and Oliver Jarvis rose from 22nd on the grid to finish on the podium in Bentley’s first race of 2017. Australia’s largest and highest-profile endurance race began at 05.45 on Sunday morning, and it was the #8 Continental GT3 piloted by Maxime Soulet (BE) that was gaining most attention as it climbed from fifth to third on the opening two laps.

So, our video escapist short this week is from 1955 and follows a British bicycle club on an excursion from London through Rugby and on to Warwick. “Wait a second!” you say. Is that “cyclist” in the title? Like “bicycle”?  Well yes. Yes, it is.  For our video of the week this go ’round I wanted something different. Different and fun. Not only does the video feature bicycles, of course, but over the course of the fifteen-minutes you see lots of cars and steam trains. Steam locomotives were used in Britain far later than they were in the states. If you can skip over some of the trolls in the comments, and a few bits of foul language, there are some interesting observations on the bikes and on the excursion itself.

We don’t often cover advertisements here on Just British, but this one for the new Land Rover Discovery is kind of fun. In the ad, Olympic hero Sir Ben Ainslie battles a desert sandstorm to reach his Land Rover BAR sailing team. The 60-second advert was directed by Ridley Scott Associates’ Jake Scott and will be aired for the first time in the UK during the break of ITV’s coverage of the RBS Six Nations’ game between Ireland and Italy, at 2pm local time on Saturday 11 February. Later that day, on the same channel, the advert will be shown again during The Voice at 8pm local time. It celebrates the new Discovery going on sale in the UK with prices from £43,495.

This will be the 11th edition of our Carolina British Classic Car Show. Again it will be at The Historic Columbia Speedway participating with Tartan Day South. There will be events on Thursday, Friday and the CBC XI Car Show on Saturday. The first event for all pre-registered participants begins on Thursday evening presented by Tartan Day South Festival. This is a free drop-in event. Go to www.tartandaydsouth.com for all TDS events. Friday we will again have a “Ramble of the Tartans” presented by The Lake Murray Chamber of Commerce. This takes the form of a rally of British Classic Cars circling Lake Murray with informative stops at several historic locations along the way. The drive will start and finish at the host Wingate Hotel 803-957-5000 at 108 Saluda Pointe Court, Lexington, SC. There will be a reception for show […]

In 2016 Morgan announced their first production electric vehicle. Capable of 100mph and 0-60 in 8 seconds, and still entirely coach-built, the EV3 has received great acclaim from motoring press and enthusiasts alike following its launch at the Geneva Motor Show. Morgan continues to celebrate this new chapter in their manufacturing history by announcing the arrival of the EV3 Junior targeting aspiring young Morgan owners!

Aron Taylor-Smith and Dan Lloyd will race for the MG British Touring Car Championship team in 2017. The duo replaces last year’s rookie pairing of race winner Ashley Sutton and Josh Cook with the British manufacturer. Taylor-Smith, who used to race under his unmarried name Smith, will step across from the Team BKR VW CC. His Rockingham win last year was his fourth victory in the category since he joined the category in 2011. It will be the first time that Taylor-Smith, 27, has driven for a factory team. “It’s a real shame in one way to leave BKR who did such an amazing job last year in their first season, but now I am fully focused on the 2017 season and excited to ensure I deliver the results that MG not only deserve but are capable of,” said the […]

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) has officially launched BAC USA Inc., as the British maker of the One-of-a-Kind Mono supercar expands its operations in North America. Having previously worked with distribution partners, BAC will now roll out a direct Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) strategy to bring factory assembly, sales, and maintenance services to United States shores.

Aston Martin’s Vantage GT8 will make its second competitive outing this weekend, as the marque’s special edition takes on Australia’s famous Bathurst 12-hours GT race at Mount Panorama. Having competed in last year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours in Europe, the close-to-production specification Vantage GT8 will be operated by Aston Martin customer team R-Motorsport this weekend in the event’s invitational class.

Salon Rétromobile 2017 will see the world debut presentation of the next in the Reborn series of expertly sourced and comprehensively restored Classic Land Rovers. Range Rover Reborn is a new program offering prospective customers the unique opportunity to purchase an original and highly collectible vintage Range Rover, direct from Land Rover Classic in the UK. The launch of Range Rover Reborn builds on the successful introduction of Land Rover Series I Reborn last year.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC today reported January 2017 U.S. sales: Jaguar sales were 2,939 units, an 117 percent increase from 1,352 units in January 2016; Land Rover sales reached 6,163 units, up 9 percent from record sales of 5,655 units in January 2016; Jaguar Land Rover January U.S. sales for both brands hit 9,102 units, a 30 percent increase from 7,007 units in January 2016; making it the best ever Jaguar Land Rover January sales month. After coming off a record-setting year in 2016, we are starting 2017 with a successful January sales month for Jaguar Land Rover and are proud to report a 30 percent sales increase. This strong performance is a testament to our expanded product offering, highly desirable brands and dedicated retailer network. We are in prime position for sales growth in the coming year. […]

Aston Martin Racing is once again ready to take on the world’s premier endurance series, with the team announcing its three-car line-up for the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) today. Fielding two V8 Vantage GTE cars in GTE Pro and one in GTE Am, the team’s entry to the series and this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans was confirmed during a web conference held by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest in Le Mans.

We decided to go a little more toward the sporting side this week – guess that is still a carry over from Daytona this past weekend. So, our Video of the Week this time is titled “Brits Who Made The Modern World: The Lotus 25”. In this 22 minute film, Peter Snow finds out how Britain’s successful Formula One industry has its origins in a remarkable amateur racing club and a visionary group of motor enthusiasts. He meets the surviving members of the Lotus Engineering team whose revolutionary car, the Lotus 25, changed the sport forever. To quote our old friend Wikipedia: The Lotus 25 was a racing car designed by Colin Chapman for the 1962 Formula One season. It was a revolutionary design, the first fully stressed monocoque chassis to appear in F1. In the hands of Jim Clark it took […]

Event Name: 27th Annual British Car Show Club Host: Central Coast British Car Club Date: Sunday, July 16, 2017 Location: Channel Islands Harbor Park Address: 3600 Harbor Blvd., Oxnard, CA 93035 Website: http://www.centralcoastbritishcarclub.com Contact: Mike Gustafson Email: [email protected] CCBCC 2017 Car Show Flyer

Bentley Motorsport has traveled 17,000km from its Crewe headquarters to New South Wales in Australia to take on its first challenge of the 2017 season – Bathurst 12 Hours – where the team is looking for a win on the world-famous Mount Panorama circuit. A pair of Bentley Continental GT3s is entering the endurance race that sees more than 50 cars from the world’s leading manufacturers battle it out on the tight and twisting walled roads that wind over the mountain.

Due to my recent purchase of a Land Rover Discovery with V8 engine, and honestly due as much to my life-long lust for the Rover V8, I picked up a copy of the book The Rover V8 Engine by David Hardcastle. My desire for this engine and anything that might be powered by it go all the way back to my teenage years when I drug home a decrepit Rover 3500S just in hopes of securing the engine for my MG. Long story short – nothing about that entire adventure worked out. But, my hopes for the magnificent V8 continued. This work, on dust jacket and Amazon listing, is billed as, “A thorough technical assessment of the Rover V8 engine and all methods of tuning for increased power output. Filled with the V8s transatlantic origins and production, its competition career in rallies and in saloon […]

Some may not realize that the MG brand and logo are now in the hands of a Chinese firm, SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, a state-owned firm based in Shanghai. They are the largest Chinese automaker by sales with over 5 million units sold in 2014.

From the creation of New Phantom in 1925, every generation of this most fabled name in luxury has served to define its moment, not only in Rolls-Royce’s history, but in world history. Quite simply, it has been the choice of the people who have defined our world and made it turn for the last 90 years. From its introduction a little over 90 years ago, every motor car that has borne the title ‘Phantom’ has reset the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged. As Phantom VII gracefully leaves the stage, having defined the first chapter in the renaissance of Rolls-Royce, we look forward to building on its remarkable success with the imminent arrival of its successor. A bold, new statement built on an all-new architecture promises to light the future of the world’s most celebrated name in […]