Archive

Eight of the UK’s major car brands united today at the Eiffel Tower in Paris on the eve of the key international motor show to demonstrate the diversity and quality of cars currently produced in the UK. Senior executives from British-based manufacturers, including Aston Martin, BMW MINI, Honda, JaguarLand Rover, McLaren, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall, were joined by Mark Garnier MP, the British Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Trade, to promote the strength of the UK automotive sector to a global audience. The UK automotive industry has undergone unprecedented growth in recent years – thanks to competitive business conditions, tariff-free trading and significant investment in new models and facilities. Car manufacturing achieved a 10-year high last year and British-built cars have never been so popular, with a record 1.2 million cars exported to more than 100 countries. Already in the first eight months of 2016, that total looks set to be beaten this year, with exports reaching almost 900,000 vehicles – 13% ahead of the same period in 2015.1

Aston Martin has commenced production of the highly anticipated DB11 for UK customers, the first core car launched under the luxury carmaker’s six year ‘Second Century Plan’. With the first DB11 coming off the Gaydon production line today, first deliveries to customers will take place during October. Aston Martin President and CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, who will personally assure the quality by inspecting the first 1,000 cars, said: “It’s an exciting moment for the entire company when the first car of a new model goes into production. The DB11 is a special car and it heralds the start of a new and exciting era for Aston Martin.” The new DB11 is the first in a line of seven new models to be launched over the next seven years, in line with the company’s ‘Second Century Plan’, which takes the 103-year-old […]

This report has come in from Eric Gibeaut on the Sunbeam Tigers East / Alpines East United meet that was held in Atlanta a couple of weekends ago. We had a great time at our United Sept 8-11. 70 Sunbeams from all over the USA were there, and we had our concours in conjunction with the Atlanta British Car Fayre on Sept. 10. The location was the small town of Norcross which shut down all of their streets to host several hundred British cars which were parked in front of the local shops and restaurants. Really a unique car show with perfect weather! Our club also had several local driving tours to various points of interest as well as an autocross with awards presented at the banquet on Sunday night. The following photo is the Hagerty Insurance Company’s MKII Sunbeam […]

The Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance will celebrate its 15th year in the fall of 2016. The Festival kicks off with the Savannah Speed Classic, October 28 – 30, on the Grand Prize of America road course situated on the property of The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa. The festivities will continue on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, November 4 – 6, at Port Royal Golf Club where the Concours d’Elegance (Nov. 6) will take center stage. Motoring Festival Partners for the 2016 Festival include the Port Royal Golf Club, The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa, the Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and Visit Savannah. This year the event will also pay tribute to the Silver Screen in this year’s exclusive “Life on the Silver […]

Veloce Publishing has released a new buyer’s guide to the much loved Sunbeam Alpine. Rootes’ Sunbeam Alpine sports car was the flagship of its car range. In the Sunbeam Alpine: All models 1959 to 1968 by Chris Barker, all the various models and production changes are described and illustrated in detail, along with what it’s like to own, drive and live with an Alpine – one of the best engineered, stylish and practical cars of its time, and still satisfying to drive today. If you’re thinking of buying an Alpine, this book will help you decide which model you really want, and learn exactly what to look for when you go to view a car. By using a thorough points-based assessment, you can decide with your head – not your heart – so you can make the right decision, and pay the […]

McLaren Automotive has already revealed that one of the key strategies of its TRACK 22 business plan is the development of a Pure Electric Vehicle (or EV) to one day sit in its Ultimate Series. Meanwhile, a Pure EV based on today’s McLaren P1™ is now available but only to a limited group of potential customers … those under the age of six. At least that’s the official guidance. The diminutive McLaren P1™ differs from its larger brother in two important areas. Firstly, it has a central driving position, just like the iconic McLaren F1. Then secondly, the young will be able to experience what adults never could: an open-top McLaren P1™. Yet cleverly the design still retains McLaren’s signature dihedral doors. And like every McLaren, its acceleration is startling. The zero to maximum speed dash takes just two seconds.

A rotary engine that is said to be more efficient and reliable than regular rotary units has been created by British firm Advanced Innovative Engineering (AIE). The Lichfield-based company demonstrated its 120bhp engine at the 2016 Low Carbon Vehicle event at Millbrook late last week in a custom-built open-top sports car. The 650S rotary engine is said to be half the size and half the weight of the equivalent four-cylinder piston engine, and benefits from patented technology including a so-called Self-Pressurising-Air Rotor Cooling System.

In very sad news, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation confirmed it was stopping the assembly of cars at Birmingham’s famous Longbridge plant. The owner of MG cars has been slammed for moving production to China – ending nearly 100 years of history. Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, which bought crippled MG Rover in 2005, confirmed it was stopping the assembly of cars at Birmingham’s famous Longbridge plant. The company insisted it was a “necessary business decision.” Yet it came as the day MG announced a 130% surge UK sales.

Liverpool-based BAC continues to go from strength to strength with the announcement that leading luxury dealer group H.R. Owen is to become an agent for the single-seat Mono supercar. BAC sells the Mono worldwide, but the addition of H.R. Owen to its UK operation is a leap forward in terms of ensuring Mono reaches the right audience and generates countrywide visibility.

The McLaren 570S Coupé has been named Motor Trend’s Best Driver’s Car for 2016, beating 12 competitors during vigorous testing over the leading US media brand’s Best Driver’s Car Week.  This is the 10th major award that the car has received, and from titles across the world. Since 2009, Motor Trend, with championship-winning race car driver Randy Pobst, has gathered for Best Driver’s Car Week to thoroughly test, review, and film the year’s top sports saloons, coupés, hatchbacks, and convertibles. The 570S went through the standard battery of instrumented tests, a closed-course hillclimb on one of California’s best mountain roads, as well as hot lapping at the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Jaguar North America, headquartered in Mahwah, New Jersey, is excited to welcome the FIA Formula E Championship, the world’s first fully-electric racing series, to New York City. At a press conference today in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, announced next year’s New York City ePrix double-header will be the first FIA-sanctioned open-wheel race to take place within the five boroughs of New York City in modern history.

Marking the anniversary of its landmark lap times when testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, two new videos of the Lotus 3-Eleven in full flight have been released, allowing enthusiasts to experience the car’s visceral, white-knuckle ride around the “Green Hell” for themselves. Offering never-seen-before views, the 60 second videos provide a car’s eye view of the facinating track, as it’s piloted by Nordschleife expert and professional racer Marc Basseng, during its Nürburgring testing and development programme. The videos not only show the car’s blistering straight-line speed, but also how fast and composed it is when cornering, thanks it to its advanced aerodynamics. At 150 mph (240 km/h) the Road version produces 150 kg of downforce, while Race version with its twin front canards and adjustable rear wing produces 215 kg. Since the car’s appearance at the Nürburgring, deliveries of the […]

Brand Events, the company behind a raft of successful motoring events including CarFest, Top Gear Live and the recent IGNITION Festival of Motoring has developed a dynamic new international Conference and Exhibition in London to champion and celebrate historic motorsport. Reflecting the UK’s leading role in the world of historic motorsport and rallying, Historic Motorsport International will be a platform for engineering and preparation experts, event organisers, promoters and suppliers.

Our video of the week this go-round features  a couple fast Minis at Jay Leno’s Garage. Well, I should say a fast Mini and an outrageously fast oh-my-lord-what-was-that Mini.  The show is presented, with Jay Leno, by Graham Reid of the Heritage Garage garage out in California. Graham Reid takes Jay for a ride in his vintage Mini Cooper. I you are into Minis, or any of the derivatives, you owe it to yourself to check out Heritage Garage. They carry a great supply of Mini parts and pieces – including racing and tuning trinkets that are quite hard to come by. Plus they really seem to know their stuff. For those of you who are not familiar with Jay Leno’s Garage, here is the official blurb… ‘After retiring from his perch atop the late-night TV ratings in 2014, comedian […]

The new MINI John Cooper Works Clubman offers all the style, practicality and fresh-thinking of the Clubman, combined with the high performance and sporting dynamics of the John Cooper Works range. The result is a unique and exclusive proposition that combines the John Cooper Works-specification engine and corresponding modifications with MINI’s ALL4 all-wheel drive system. In creating this potent model, able to take full advantage of the maximum possible traction in all conditions, MINI has created a powerful but practical vehicle that’s fun to drive in the true spirit of a MINI.

Jaguar Land Rover, North America, the Mahwah-based arm of British premium automaker Jaguar Land Rover Limited, announced today it has received Mahwah Township Planning Board approval to begin customizing and expanding an office complex on Rt. 17 North in Mahwah, within Bergen County, to be the site of its new North American headquarters. Construction on the existing facility will begin this year, with design by Gensler Architecture/Design Inc. The move to the new facility from the current headquarters in Mahwah is slated for early 2018. Jaguar Land Rover is in the midst of multi-year growth streak with expanding product lineups for both its Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Through the first eight months of 2016, the company’s U.S. sales have increased 46 percent and Canadian sales have increased 33 percent.

Aston Martin Racing has cooled down to the taste of champagne, after winning both GTE Pro and Am classes in a scorching 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. After clinching the GTE Pro pole yesterday, Nicki Thiim (DN) and Marco Sørensen (DN) continued their strong form to bring their #95 V8 Vantage GTE home first at the six-hour mark. Aside from the pit-stop windows, the duo led the GTE Pro field for the entirety of the race with both single stinting throughout.

Triumph Motorcycles has confirmed that the current stage of its land speed record attempt has been postponed due to the course conditions at Bonneville. Rain at the start of the week has continued to affect the team’s running during the last seven days. While track inspections have shown that conditions improved, it has not been possible to create the constancy across the full eleven-mile course required for the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner to safely conduct a Land Speed Record attempt. Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner designer Matt Markstaller said: I know people will be disappointed at this news, but the safety of the rider, Guy Martin, and the wider team supporting the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner has to be our prime consideration. The course conditions on the salt flats have forced us to wait for another window of opportunity. The team […]