Archive

Scotland’s historical seat of power, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, is playing host to the 2015 Concours of Elegance from 4 to 6 September, with an impressive array of Bentley models taking centre stage. The prestigious, invitation-only event – which showcases 60 of the world’s rarest and most valuable cars – will feature six Bentley models ranging from a 1927 6 ½ Litre Vanden Plas tourer to a 1960 S2 Continental with H.J. Mulliner Fastback coachwork. Not only is the Mulliner name still closely associated with Bentley today, but it also has historical ties with the Scottish capital. In December 1909 John Croall & Sons Ltd of Edinburgh purchased a controlling shareholding in H. J. Mulliner & Co, which it held until 1959, where after the coachbuilding company officially became part of Bentley Motors Ltd. Other Bentley models on display at […]

The British Car Club of Western North Carolina will present their annual fall car show, Autumn in the Mountains, on September 26, 2015, at Jackson Park in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Early registration, discounted to $25 per car, is available online until September 19, 2015. After that time, registration will be $30 both online and at the park the day of show. AITM is a charity event benefiting Meals on Wheels. Autumn In The Mountains will once again have a silent auction to benefit Meals on Wheels. The club is happy to accept both cash and checks from the winning bidder for each item. There will be many items up for bid, appealing to everyone. Schedule 8:30 – 12:00 Registration @ Jackson Park RAIN OR SHINE…THE SHOW WILL GO ON! 10:00 — 3:00 Car Show at Jackson Park Silent Auction benefiting […]

The British Invasion is the largest all-British motorcar show and British lifestyle event in the Eastern United States. This annual event is held on the weekend of the 3rd Saturday in the month of September in Stowe, Vermont. 2015 marks the 25 anniversary of the British Invasion with this year’s event being held September 18 through 20. Over 700 British Motorcars invade the rustic town of Stowe, Vermont for the weekend. Friday evening is the Main Street Party with reserve parking for British Motorcars, and a live band. Saturday is the big day with the Concours d’Elegance (Judged Competition); the British Classic (People’s Choice 60+ classes of British Motorcars); the Car Corral(British Car for Sale); the British Market Place; The Queen’s Court (Ladies Hat Competition); British Attire Competition, British Invasion Music; and Food and Beverage. Sunday is more of the same […]

Revision note: I was so deep in the technical details that I missed an obvious error – the go-live is September 1, not October. Just goes to show that there will always be something. This is a bit of internal business, but it is one that has been coming for a long time – and is long overdue. Tomorrow, yes tomorrow, October September 1, 2015, we will launch the new Just British website. You can see a bit of a sneak peek in the picture below.   Although the site will look different, it shouldn’t look jarringly so. Well, that is unless you are surfing from a mobile device such as a tablet or smart-phone. While our current design looks fine on a normal computer, it is horrible on a mobile device. There, I said it. I admit it. The […]

Bentley Motors has announced the opening of its first ever mountain lodge in Kitzbühel, Austria. This new concept of living the Bentley essence in Europe opens its doors for the first time to welcome the European dealers and a selected group of VIPs and local residents. Surrounded by breathtaking peaks and valleys while being nestled in one of the most exclusive Alpine hot spots, the full-serviced and luxuriously furnished chalet offers an unrivalled hideaway amid Kitzbühel and is now available for private bookings for customers and friends of the brand. Robert Engstler, Regional Director Europe at Bentley Motors, comments: ‘The Bentley Lodge Kitzbühel has everything to become a class-of-its-own destination. One of the latest Bentley models will be available at all times for the guests and we are glad to offer various bespoke experiences such as fishing, hunting, horseback riding, […]

The 29th Annual British Car Union Festival is coming up, September 13, 2015, at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, sponsored by the British Car Union.

The British Car Club of Charleston will be holding its 31st Annual British Car Day at Memorial Waterfront Park, Mt. Pleasant, SC, just over the bridge from downtown Charleston. In addition to the British car show itself, of course there is the beauty of the water front park to enjoy. Sunday – October 25, 2015 British Car Show – Let’s show off all those great British cars we have acquired and love to share. You are guaranteed to have enthusiastic admirers. The show is open to all British beauties, not just show quality cars, but also diamonds in the rough. And if it is ugly, not beautiful? Bring it on too. For more information, please check out the website of The British Car Club of Charleston.

Aston Martin Works is preparing for a busy September of new sports car sales handovers, led by its first delivery of the sold-out Vantage GT12. The arrival of the ‘65’ registration plate will trigger the traditional September sales spike as eager buyers of the great British brand’s luxury sports cars take delivery of their new models. The Newport Pagnell business – among the busiest Aston Martin dealerships in the world since it opened its impressive new car showroom in 2012 – is gearing up for one of its most hectic months of the year as buyers from across the UK collect their new cars. Leading the charge from the Buckinghamshire showroom this September is the arrival of one of the first new Vantage GT12 sports cars to be handed over to a UK customer. With production strictly limited to just […]

Aston Martin’s bold Second Century Plan for global growth and development is benefiting young job seekers, with news of more opportunities to join the business in sought-after apprenticeship roles. The luxury British sports car maker – which currently employs almost 40 young apprentices across a wide variety of functions at its modern factory and global headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire – is today announcing ten more apprenticeships in a selection of priority positions. The recruitment drive will see the apprentices join the business on a four-year fixed contract to learn their trade in one of the following areas: Paint, Trim, Maintenance, Control Engineering and Robotics, or Manufacturing Engineering. To be considered for one of the ten places available, candidates must be aged 16 to 18 and have five GCSE passes (or equivalent) at grade C or above, including Maths, English and […]

The new Jaguar F-PACE will be the first ever performance crossover from the famous British luxury and sports car manufacturer, and will feature technology designed to ensure it is the most rewarding driver’s car of its kind. The F-PACE will be specified with chassis dynamics technology adapted from the acclaimed Jaguar F-TYPE sports car, and offered with a sophisticated All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) system which delivers torque-on-demand. The world premiere of the Jaguar F-PACE will be at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Jaguar’s Vehicle Integrity team, led by sports car development expert and Chief Engineer Mike Cross, are currently engaged on development programmes designed to ensure the new F-PACE will offer an unrivalled breadth of dynamic ability.

This week we have decided to feature a video from one of most any car guy’s heroes, Jay Leno. This episode from Jay Leno’s Garage is entitled “Restoration Finished: 1966 Lotus Elan 26R”. As might be expected, it features a walk-through of the magnificent Lotus elan that Jim Hall rebuilt – this ultimate Lotus of his dreams is a tribute to one of the most wonderful eras in racing. The original Elan was introduced in 1962 as a roadster, although an optional hardtop was offered in 1963 and a coupé version in 1965. The two-seat Lotus Elan replaced the elegant, but unreliable and expensive to produce Lotus Elite. It was the first Lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. At 1,600 lb (726 kg), the Elan embodied the Colin Chapman minimum weight design philosophy. Initial […]

Anglia Car Auctions continued its 2015 run of mega-sales as just shy of 300 cars came under the hammer on Saturday 22 August, resulting in around 75% of lots sold and a total of £2 million. Top price of the sale was the £152,250 including premium paid for a 2001 BMW Z8. The bright red Roadster, which has been sold new to the Middle East, had covered 55,000km from new and was one of just 77 available in that colour. A 1957 Austin-Healey 100/6 that was part of a Danish collection made £49,350 and a 1962 Jaguar E-type Coupe was bought for £49,350, both with premium. The 1980s performance models continue to strengthen in popularity with a 1987 Cosworth Sierra with 33,000 miles from new, owned by the vendor for ten years, made £30,450 and a 1983 XR4i with 45,000 […]

An MG sports car owned and driven during World War Two by the RAF hero Sir Douglas Bader is expected to sell for £80,000 at auction. The fighter pilot, who famously flew in the Battle of Britain despite losing both legs, was the first owner of the Midget TA Roadster. He bought it in 1938, seven years after he lost his legs, registering the open-top car to his address in upmarket Kensington, West London. The British car was powered by a 1.3-litre engine which gave it a top speed of around 80mph – an impressive speed for a 1930s sports car.   Autocar magazine tested the MG in 1937, with motoring journalists saying it gives “an unusually good performance for its engine size”. When the war broke out Bader rejoined the RAF and became one of the heroes of the […]

The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW) proudly announces today, with the support of Bridge of Weir Leather Company, that the first inductees to the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame will be confirmed on 3 September 2015. The venue for the inaugural Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame presentation will be the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh, which will play host to the opening party of the 2015 Concours of Elegance on the evening of 3 September 2015. The Concours of Elegance is among the world’s leading classic car events, and each year is held at a Royal Palace; with this year’s being held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from the 4th to 6th September. Announcing the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame today, ASMW President, Alisdair Suttie, said: “I am so proud to be at the helm of the […]

The Texas MG Register will hold its Fall 2015 Gathering of the Faithful Thursday, October 15th through Sunday, October 18th in Tyler, TX. Anyone who has an interest in MGs, not just TMGR members, is invited. Registration and full details for this event can be found at www.tmgr.org. In addition to the car show, rally and awards banquet there are special events planned that only Tyler can provide: All MGs attending this GoF will participate in the 82nd Texas Rose Festival parade on Saturday morning, October 17th before the car show which will be held at the Tyler downtown square On Friday, October 16th everyone will have the opportunity to participate on a drive to visit two great car collections: the world’s largest Dodge Viper collection of Wayne Raugh; and Jerry Ball’s collection of cars primarily from the 50’s and […]

Our Video of the Week is entitled The Big Drive and features the 1966 London Motor Show with its push for export of British cars to help the economy. In addition to the fabulous cut-away rotating BMC 1100 in the first few seconds, this video also features such innovative cars as the Triumph GT6, Singer-Rootes Chamois, and the Ford Executive. Competing cars from makers such as Ferrari and Honda are also briefly shown. These cars displayed as new nearly 50 years ago in 1966 is an amazing sight, and the film footage is very clear. But just as amazing is some of the commentary and the displays themselves. Take a look, and be wonder and maybe chuckle – hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Nowadays affectionately known as the ‘Aunty’ Rover, the dignified P4 series of cars was launched in 1949 to carry Britain’s Rover company into the postwar era. Rover’s well-deserved reputation for building high-quality cars and the marque’s upmarket image ensured that the P4 series appealed to the company’s traditional clientele – doctors, solicitors, bank managers and others of similar social rank. Despite the rather staid image of the P4 series, over the years the cars had many interesting features like the original ‘Cyclops’ central headlight, disc brakes, a freewheel device and overdrive. The larger-engined versions were also rather nifty and could whoosh their occupants along at a very unauntie-like pace! Production continued through several model variations – but always with four or six-cylinder engines – until 1964. In the meantime, Rover experimented with gas turbine power units in P4 bodies and […]

The all-new Jaguar XF brings an unrivalled blend of design, luxury, technology and efficiency to lead the business car segment, underpinned by class-leading driving dynamics and refinement and impressive total cost of ownership. The dynamic, coupé-like design is formed around Jaguar’s aluminium-intensive architecture and combines the outstanding proportions, elegant surfaces and perfect lines which define all Jaguar cars, with a longer wheelbase, more interior space and exceptionally low aerodynamic drag yet in a lower and shorter body than the car it replaces. The cabin is a seamless blend of contemporary luxury materials and finishes, traditional Jaguar craftsmanship and state-of-the art technology, with features such as a reconfigurable 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster, laser head-up display and the InControl Touch Pro premium infotainment system – the all-new XF is the most connected Jaguar ever. “I believe the all-new XF is the best […]