Archive

Birmingham car maker MG UK is taking to two wheels – by launching a professional cycling team. The newly-branded MG Maxifuel Pro Cycling Team will compete in nearly 100 of the UK’s top events this year. Its riders will include Hannah Barnes, a 21-time national champion at various events and Sweden’s Magnus Backstedt, a Tour de France stage winner. The team will be officially launched next Tuesday at an event at the MG Sales Centre at the MG Birmingham site at Longbridge. MG spokesman Doug Wallace said: “This is a great opportunity to do some further marketing for MG, to spread the name of the brand. It is initially for a year to see how things go, and then we will see what the future holds.” Backstedt said: “I’m really happy to be racing with MG Maxifuel, it’s a real feel good factor […]

Mini’s Oxford assembly plant is the third-oldest mass-production car facility in the world, and this month it celebrates its 100-year anniversary. As one might expect, the plant has a storied history and a long tally of cars produced. So far, the plant has manufactured more than 2.25 million Minis, including the original Mini that rolled off the line from 1959 to 1969 (another plant in the UK continued production until 2000). In 2001, the Oxford plant began production of the modern Mini Cooper, a project spearheaded by the brand’s new parent company BMW. For centuries, Oxford has enjoyed international appeal as having one of the world’s best known and highly regarded universities, and draws thousands of visitors from around the globe every year. But many people don’t know that Oxford also has a technical and industrial history: 100 years ago – in […]

The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum collection is being put up for auction by RM Auctions with a sale date of February 15 and 16. The collection, housed in Madison, Georgia, includes many generations and badges of microcars from Authi to BMW and Gogomobile to Messerschmitt. From the auction catalog, “RM Auctions is delighted and privileged to have been chosen to offer such an extraordinary collection at auction, displayed in a cohesive and downright jaw-dropping facility that encapsulates Bruce’s youthful spirit and the fascinating post-war era of the microcar. As such, the rarest microcars are joined by the most sought-after, fully restored, and completely functional kiddie rides, coin-operated vending machines, porcelain signs, neons, and perhaps most uniquely, the rarest microcar toys and models in the world. Every item will be sold, wall to wall, right down to the instantly recognizable international […]

MG is launching a special MG6 BTCC Edition to celebrate its hugely successful return to Britain’s favourite saloon car racing series. The MG6 GT BTCC Edition was previewed at the final round of the 2012 MSA Dunlop British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch where MG’s Jason Plato clinched an amazing third place in the championship after taking the chequered flag six times in the season. The road-going MG6 BTCC Edition is on sale for just £16,995.

A great article in the Southern Daily Echo on a rare 1937 MG SA drophead coupe. It was brought as a “cheap run around” by a Southampton student for just £30 back in 1966. This vintage 1937 MG was snapped up by a young Lob Vinycomb from a Hampshire garage almost half a century ago. Now, 46 years later, the same car has been sold by the same garage – for more than £60,000. But Isle of Wight man Lob was briefly reunited with the prized vehicle, before it is handed over to its new owners. Philip Scott, owner of Beaulieu Garage in the New Forest, was contacted by the car’s latest owner, who lived in Cornwall, asking if he would interested in selling the collectable SA Drophead Coupe. Read the full article on the beautiful MG at the Southern Daily […]

The 1974 Rolls-Royce owned by former Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has been sold at auction for more than six times its guide price, fetching £74,000. This is equal to approximately $117,000 USD. The 62,000-mile classic Rolls-Royce had a guide price of just £9,000-£11,000. It features grey leather, wood trim, electric windows, automatic gearbox, a car phone and radio casette player. Power is provided by a 6.75-litre V8 engine. It was sold as part of the Coys auction on January 12, 2013, at Autosport International to a Russian businessman through telephone bidding.

Iconic and now wholly Chinese-owned car maker MG is the fastest-growing British brand in the UK, according to official industry data. Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reveal MG sales grew by 117 per cent in 2012, boosted by the opening of eight new dealerships. The famous MG octagon enjoyed its best sales year in the UK since 2006, with more cars sold last year than in 2010 and 2011 combined. That success was mirrored in China where SAIC Motor, MG’s parent company, sold over 200,000 units across its MG and (China-only) Roewe brands – a 23 per cent increase over 2011 – representing the biggest growth within the SAIC group’s automotive divisions. Worldwide growth for the brand is equally encouraging with MG growing at a faster rate than any time in the marque’s 89-year history. […]

MINI has won the 2013 Dakar Rally, a gruelling off-road rally raid race held this year over a 5,300-mile route between Lima, Peru and Santiago, Chile. Stéphane Peterhansel and co-driver / navigator Jean-Paul Cottret drove the winning MINI Countryman-based ‘ALL4 Racing’ competition vehicle run by the X-raid Team, with the French pairing retaining their 2012 crown. Their overall time of 38 hours 32 minutes and 39 seconds secured a 42 minute 22 second lead over their next closest competitors, cementing the British marque’s victory. Senior Vice President MINI Brand Management, Dr Kay Segler: “This is a magnificent triumph and I would like to offer our congratulations on behalf of MINI not only to Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret, but also to Sven Quandt’s entire X-raid Team. “The victory of the MINI ALL4 Racing last year was without doubt a surprise […]

International icon and British car manufacturer Aston Martin turned 100th anniversary Tuesday, 16 January,  in Chelsea’s Henniker Mews the original home of the company. Founded on 15 January 1913, Aston Martin designs and manufactures around 3,500 exclusive sports cars at its Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire every year. “I am proud to be celebrating 100 years of heritage and the best of British craftsmanship,” said Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez. Dr Bez described Aston Martin as “the coolest luxury car brand on the planet,” an argument heightened by its connection to the James Bond film franchise, featuring in the latest blockbuster Skyfall. The event in London marks the start of a year-long celebration with events taking place across the world, including a week-long Aston Martin festival in July where enthusiasts will be able to see how the car is made at […]

The Telegraph has an excellent review of the new car with the old name – the Aston Martin Vanquish. But really, can any Aston Martin be bad? Check out the Telegraph’s full review.

British sports-car outfit Caterham is launching both a new Seven race car with a forced-induction engine, and a one-make racing series in which the car can compete next year. The Caterham R600 racer offers 275 hp in the company’s familiar lightweight, stripped-out Seven chassis. The engine in question is a supercharged 2.0-liter Ford inline-four, rated for 275 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed sequential transmission sends power to the rear wheels by way of a limited-slip differential. The company claims the R600 will be much faster and “more aggressive” than existing Caterham models, but promises that “the linear power delivery of the supercharged engine makes it superbly drivable.” Make sure to check out the full story at Automobile Magazine.

Jaguar revealed the F-TYPE, an all-new convertible sports car at an event in Paris late last month. The new Jaguar F-TYPE represents a return to the company’s heartland: a two-seat, convertible sports car focused on delivering performance, agility and maximum driver engagement. The F-TYPE is a continuation of a sporting bloodline that stretches back more than 75 years and encompasses a heritage of beautiful, thrilling and desirable cars. The car was revealed in front of the dramatic setting of the 18th century Musee Rodin. Following the reveal, singer Lana Del Rey took to the stage and performed a new track ‘Burning Desire,’ that she has written as part of her collaboration with Jaguar for the launch of the F-TYPE. The track is confirmed to be the soundtrack to a short film that is being produced in association with Ridley Scott […]

MG has launched a new deal where almost any old banger attracts a trade-in value of £3,000. The company claims the deal is probably the most generous on the market at the moment, with any roadworthy car with at least 14 days’ MOT remaining qualifying for the generous valuation. The offer, which evokes memories of the ’scrappage’ incentive scheme of several years ago, is redeemable against either of the two MG6 models in the range; the Magnette and the GT fastback. Meanwhile, another offer on the two cars entices buyers with a fuel card pre-loaded to the value of £2,400 and usable at Tesco and Morrisons’ supermarket filling stations. This is a separate deal that cannot be taken in conjunction with the £3,000 used-car valuation. Clint Cordle, MG Motor UK’s marketing manager, says: “These are both exceptionally good deals on […]

Al Moss, the founder and spirit of Moss Motors, passed away Tuesday night, September 25, 2012. Moss Motors writes, “Here in our building and in our catalogs, Al’s presence is still palpable and will be, we hope, as long as we are in business. We are better because of it.” Moss Motors didn’t start out to be a restoration parts business at all, and if E. Alan Moss had bought a Ford instead of an MG TC things might have turned out very differently indeed! Al was then a young man living in the emerging Los Angeles powerhouse, and the lure of the TC, known as “The Sports Car America Loved First,” was irresistible. After reading about the successful road rallies being held on the East Coast, Al decided to organize one of the first West Coast rallies, this being the summer […]

The Golden Age of the British Sports Car, exploring the story of mass-produced two-seaters from 1945 to 1961, is showing on BBC Four on October 8 at 9pm. A one-hour documentary film, The Golden Age of the British Sports Car, investigates how British manufacturers hit upon a formula for distinctively small, stylish and quick two-seater sports cars that could be mass produced – and which would go on to take the world by storm. For the complete story,  check out The Telegraph.

Jaguar has launched an all-wheel-drive version of its XF and XJ models in North America in the hope that the extreme weather conditions characteristic of the region’s “snow states” will drive demand. The luxury carmaker, part of the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) group, chose the Meatpacking District in Manhattan, New York, to put the AWD ehicles on display to the public yesterday. “The cars will be perfectly set up for the extremes of weather that can hit this part of the world,” said Andy Goss, the President of Jaguar Land Rover in North America. “When it snows here it snows. We need to have products that are technically capable of coping with extreme weather conditions.” Read further details on The Telegraph

British car production is still revving ahead of the rest of the economy after official figures showed an increase in output for the 13th month in a row. Almost 120,000 cars were built in the UK in July, which is up 22% on the same period last year, according to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The figures came in the same week that one of the industry’s great export successes, Jaguar Land Rover, moved to a 24-hour operation in order to keep up with soaring demand from Asia. The latest SMMT total means that year-to-date production is running at 875,998, an increase of 15%. Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said investment commitments from producers with a major UK presence, from JLR to BMW and Toyota, had underpinned the growth. “While uncertainty in Europe remains a challenge, the […]

A major new multi-million pound redevelopment programme has been launched at MG Motor UK – doubling the size of the design centre and creating new jobs. The latest phase of the rebirth of Longbridge will see substantial investments in the design studio, the engine test centre and the factory ahead of the launch of a new diesel version of the MG6 later this year. Meanwhile, the Chinese-owned firm is recruiting new engineers and designers to work on the next generation of MG cars as the firm prepares to hit the export trail to mainland Europe within two years. New production plans for MG Motor UK include the new diesel model and a Ford Fiesta-sized MG3 by the middle of next year, with a Ford Focus-sized MG5 and an MG SUV vehicle also in the pipeline. The major expansion of the […]