Archive

Land Rover will unveil the Range Rover SVAutobiography at the 2015 New York International Auto Show, adding even more luxury, design sophistication and performance to an enhanced line-up. Speaking ahead of the exclusive model’s world premiere in New York, Land Rover’s Design Director and Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern stated: “With the SVAutobiography we have taken the opportunity to optimise the Range Rover’s luxury execution and precision while delivering beautiful detailing that considerably enhances the customer’s experience of our flagship vehicle.” Exclusively crafted at Special Vehicle Operations’ (SVO) Technical Centre in the UK, SVAutobiography features unique exterior design enhancements, an exclusive premium leather interior with unique trim finishes and the option of a 550PS 5.0-litre V8 supercharged engine for the first time. As a result, the SVAutobiography is the most luxurious and powerful series-production Range Rover in the model’s successful […]

McLaren unveiled the 570S coupe before its public debut party at the New York auto show this week. The newest British supercar will be part of the two-car McLaren Sports Series, which falls below the Super Series that includes the 650S and 675SLT. The all-new McLaren Sports Series brings McLaren race-derived technologies and supercar driving exhilaration to the sports car market for the first time. Launching with two power outputs, the Sports Series offers class-leading performance, lightweight construction including a carbon fibre chassis, recognisable McLaren design values and a comprehensive specification list. Pricing for the higher-powered 570S, shown for the first time at the New York International Auto Show, will retail from £143,250. McLaren also confirmed that the pricing for the 540C Coupe will start at £126,000. This model will be unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show when further details […]

The all-new Jaguar XF will make its global motor show debut today in New York. Formed around Jaguar’s aluminium-intensive architecture, the all-new XF will bring an unrivalled blend of design, luxury, technology, dynamic capability and efficiency to the business car segment. Ian Callum,Director of Design, Jaguar, said: “I believe the all-new XF is the best looking car in its class. Elegant, handsome and with proportions that imbue a great sense of integrity – the all-new XF is true to the great tradition of sporting Jaguar saloons while being completely of its time.”  The all-new XF’s dynamic, coupé-like design 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. The all-new XF range will consist of: XF Pure/ SE, XF Prestige, XF R-Sport, XF Portfolio, […]

Our video this week takes a different turn, literally. And we are making that turn easily without a dragging or skipping wheel. This is achieved through the use of a differential. How does that work you ask? Well, that is the subject of our Video of the Week. “Around the Corner: How Differential Steering Works” is a short film from 1937 that explains the basics of how the differential in your rear, or perhaps even front, axle functions. By understanding the basic components that go into our cars we can become not only better drivers, but we can become better custodians of our treasures. If we know the principles of what is going on with the cars, we can feel problems before the get out of control and also understand what is necessary for repairs, even if we don’t do […]

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 […]

Autocar Professional is reporting that Britain’s car manufacturing industry has received yet another financial boost with three major manufacturers announcing UK investments worth more than £1 billion  in the past six days. Honda, Jaguar Land Rover and the London Taxi Company have each made announcements of funding to build new vehicle models, amounting to a total of £1.05 billion.   The latest announcements come on the back of a total of £7 billion committed in 2013 and 2014. The UK is seeing a renaissance in car production. In 2014, more than 1.5 million cars were produced – an increase of 50% since 2009, and the sector’s best performance since 2007. The latest announcements include: Jaguar Land Rover announces £600million new investment into its West Midlands operations, covering Castle Bromwich and Whitley sites.Coventry-based London Taxi Company reveals a £250 million investment […]

The 2015 Aston Martin Racing Evolution Academy squad has been unveiled at the manufacturer’s state-of-the-art headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire UK and includes stars of the future who will race in four of the world’s top national and international GT championships. The ten ‘up-and-coming’ drivers, selected by a panel of judges at Aston Martin Racing, have been named as: Matt Bell (GB); Jamie Chadwick (GB); Jade Edwards (GB); Jody Fannin (GB); Jake Giddings (GB); Ross Gunn (GB); Daniel Lloyd (GB); Devon Modell (GB); Dennis Strandberg (SE); and Jonathan Venter (AU). “We are extremely pleased with the line-up of the inaugural Evolution Academy,” commented Aston Martin Racing’s Team Principal John Gaw. “There’s no doubting we have ten very talented participants but the question is, who will prove to us that they have what it takes to be an Aston Martin Racing works […]

The British Car Club Midlands Centre out of Columbia, South Carolina, held their 9th annual Carolina British Classic show this past Saturday, April, and it was a pleasure to attend. The event was held at historic Columbia Speedway in coordination with Tartan Day South, an annual Scottish festival. Proceeds from the show went to Pawmetto Lifeline. The weather was cool and beautiful – a truly fantastic Spring day. As in years past, the background of the Scottish festival lent a music, food and an amazing array of traditional, and not so traditional, dress to the show. Having a car show in conjunction with an event such as this really makes the whole day more enjoyable for all those attending. The juxtaposition of activities also provides a lot of exposure to the cars that would not have been available in many other […]

Aston Martin has announced it will widen its product offering for markets outside of Europe. Based on a conditional offer of an exceptional regional growth fund from the UK Government, Aston Martin will commence work this year on new models intended to broaden its customer reach in export markets such as China and the Middle East. The UK Government has committed support up to the value of £6.9 million, conditional on investments in new products from Aston Martin. Commenting on this news, Aston Martin CEO, Dr Andy Palmer said: “Expanding our product range to enable a greater reach into export markets is an essential part of our Second Century business plan. Having this support from the Government to help execute the plan is a meaningful vote of confidence in the future of the company.” Press release courtesy Aston Martin, 29 March 2015, […]

Young British sportscar driver Jann Mardenborough has been involved in a crash in a race in Germany which has resulted in the death of a spectator. Mardenborough was competing in the VLN1 event at the Nurburgring Nordschliefe when his Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 flipped up in the air as it crested a rise in the circuit. With the nose of the car pointing up in the air, it soared for around 30 metres before landing on its tail and bouncing over the catch-fencing into a crowd of people. A VLN statement read: ‘The opening round of the VLN Endurance Championship at the Nurburgring was marred by an accident on Saturday which injured several spectators. ‘One of the spectators died, despite the immediate actions of the rescue crew in the medical centre at the circuit. The other injured spectators have been taken […]

According to This Day Livee, Coscharis Motors, the authorised dealer of Morris Garages (MG) in Nigeria, has said it is well positioned to make MG the preferred car for the younger generation and to take the dream further by making MG one of the most popular brand in the country. A statement by Coscharis officials said, “MG is now 90 years since 1924, and no matter how the times change or how technologies move forward, MG 550, has remained the dream car of every younger generation. And yes, it takes you to the new age when the desktop of driving operation can be customised, when the perfect fusion of digital technology and fashion interface.” According to the General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Services, Mr. Babarinde Abiona, “Coscharis Motors, offers to customers unmistakably British standard vehicle (MG) with a unique combination of […]

British Car Week is an annual awareness week for all things pertaining to British cars. All British car owners are encouraged to get their British classics out of the garage more than ever during this week, and show them off to your local communities to raise awareness about classic British cars. This, the 19th annual event, will be held May 30 through June 8, 2015. This in turn, will help strengthen the entire classic British car hobby. This includes the clubs that help keep us together, the magazines that help keep us informed, and the suppliers whom we hope will help us keep our cars safely on the road for many years to come. Need some ideas? Drive your car to work or for errands. Organize a British car get-together somewhere in your community that will allow the local public […]

This just in from the folks at Lotus cars: All car companies, including unconventional specialists like Lotus, always make the most ingenious use of their resources, notably around the time of new car launches. One such new car, the exciting Lotus Evora 400 supercar was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show recently. With a maximum speed of 186 mph (300 km/h) and acceleration 0-60 mph of just 4.1 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.2 seconds), the new Evora 400 is the fastest car in the Lotus range. With benchmark handling capabilities and a pure driving experience, it is lightweight and efficient and the envy of the supercar scene. So a thought-provoking launch campaign needed to be developed to direct new customers to this thrilling new offering. The solution lies in an ingenious on-line game, accessed through both the Lotus website and […]

The Vulcan, Aston Martin’s “most intense and exhilarating creation to date” will make its first appearance in North America at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) next month. The Aston Martin Vulcan – a track only supercar producing some 800-plus bhp – joins the British luxury sports car maker’s presence at NYIAS fresh from a global reveal at the Geneva International Motor Show earlier in March. Fronting a new seven-car display led by CEO Dr Andy Palmer, the Aston Martin Vulcan will be joined by examples from the current Aston Martin product range in North America including the new Vanquish Carbon, Rapide S, DB9, V12 Vantage S and the V8 Vantage GT Roadster. CEO, Dr Andy Palmer commented: “We are enormously encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive reaction we have received from customers and sports car fans around the world […]

The Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance, held March 12-15, once again presented an amazing collection of rare, exotic and highly-collectible cars.  There were a smattering of British marques represented at the Concours, with best in class winners of two pre-war Rolls-Royce, an Aston Martin DB4 and gorgeous 1947 Bentley coupe.   The real British-action, however, was experienced in the high-end auctions of Gooding’s and Bonham’s.  So while affordability is in the eye of the beholder, there were several tempting offerings, like a driver-quality 1968 jaguar XKE coupe for $44,000, and a pristine 1952 MG TD for $29,000.  After those, however, the appreciation curve shot upward, with an unbelievably original 1965 XKE Series 1 4.2 coupe going for $200,000 and a similarly original 1961 E-Type Roadster hitting $380,000.  And in the I’ve-never-seen-one-of-those-before, a 1951 Lotus, claimed to be the very first road-worthy […]

The all-new Jaguar XF: lighter and more efficient, with unrivalled refinement, dynamics and design: The all-new XF’s aluminium-intensive architecture enables class-leading weight: 80kgs lighter than the competition* The lowest CO2 emissions of any non-hybrid model in the segment: 104g/km Class-leading efficiency: over 70mpg* Elegant, progressive design combines short overhangs and outstanding proportions with exceptional aerodynamic efficiency: Cd 0.26 Segment-leading rear seat space All-new 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system – InControl Touch Pro Bespoke 825W Meridian digital surround sound system with 17 speakers Reconfigurable 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster Powertrains from 163PS Ingenium diesel to 380PS V6 supercharged petrol Double-wishbone and Integral Link suspension deliver exceptional ride comfort, handling and unrivalled refinement Torque on-demand all-wheel drive system (AWD) with Intelligent Driveline Dynamics delivers the optimum balance of performance and all-weather capability Full technical and range specifications released 01 April *Ingenium four-cylinder diesel 163PS […]

For the video this week we are going to turn back the clock a bit. Well, a lot. Heck, we are actually having to throw the entire calendar into the way-back machine. We might even have to throw in a bit of Doctor Who‘s timey-wimey travel. Our video this week is of the Standard Triumph factory at Canley in Coventry back in 1965. Think of the Triumph Herald and the Spitfire. For an interesting aerial overview of the Canley factory, take a look at the Canley Triumph Works page over at the Triumph Herald Archive.

This very special edition made its world debut at the 2015 Geneva International Motor Show – combining all the rugged practicality of the MINI Countryman with the sophistication and refinement of one of London’s most distinguished addresses. Available from July 2015, it comes in four engine variants with optional MINI ALL4 all-wheel drive. MINI Countryman Overview Bold with an athletic flair, the MINI Countryman was the first MINI with four doors, a large tailgate, five seats and optional all-wheel drive. It took on the role of an irresistible front-line force from the very start – both in the conquest of additional target groups and off-road driving. The MINI Countryman has enabled the brand to establish a secure standing in the premium compact segment. It brings unmistakable MINI design, premium quality, versatile interior and trademark MINI driving fun together with off-road capabilities […]