Articles by Michael Carnell

Always fun to feature a bit of vintage racing, so our video this week is for the Walter Mitty in all of us and features the recent SVRA Drivers School at Roebling Road near Savannah, Georgia. New to this year’s schedule was an SVRA drivers school. 2017 1ST National Drivers’ School in Savannah & Bob Williams Heritage Cup at Roebling Road Raceway – Bloomingdale, Georgia. The weekend school is designed to provide prospective vintage racers an accelerated, cost-effective path to getting a vintage racing license, whilst coming away from the track ready to go wheel-to-wheel racing. The entire weekend pays homage to “old school” vintage racing and events with throwback races and low-pressure club feel. For those of you who may be interested in vintage racing, and I highly recommend at least getting to a race as a spectator some time, you can find […]

Our video this week features the history of a car that most Americans don’t think about and most probably have never even heard of. The Vauxhall brand though has consistently been one of the best-selling automotive brands in Britain. Let’s turn to Wikipedia for a bit of info … Vauxhall Motors is the trading name used by General Motors UK Limited) is a British automotive manufacturing and distribution company headquartered in Luton (Bedfordshire) and an affiliated company of the German Adam Opel AG, both being wholly owned subsidiaries of General Motors (GM) in the United States. The company sells passenger cars and light commercial vehicles under the Vauxhall marque; in the past it has also sold buses and trucks under the Bedford brand. Vauxhall has been the second-largest-selling car brand in the UK for more than two decades. Vauxhall was […]

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 […]

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 […]

Now that 2016 and December are behind us, I supposed it is time to reveal the winner of the last contest.  If you will remember, that contest was a simple one – all that was required was to our new Discussion Forums, register and then leave a comment. That was it! The prize for this contest was the engrossing DVD set of The Standard Triumph Story. Without further adieu … the winner is … Martin Keller of Ventura, CA.  We are contacting him as we speak so we can send the DVD set on out. Congratulations to Martin! Thank you to all those who entered! Make sure to check out the discussion forums!  

Something a bit different this week for our video. This time round we are featuring “HBTV: Depth of Speed – British Mania”. The series “Depth of Speed” … ‘was born from a desire of story, travel and a love of anything automotive related. Next year my wife and I will be taking to the streets to uncover and document the greatest stories from the automotive world. From coast-to-coast and from top to bottom, finding the best stories will take the highest priority. Every time I meet someone new or attend an event I’m amazed at the depth, passion and love that the automotive world brings. Depth of Speed is just that – an in-depth look at these stories. There is something about motors and machines, that to an outsider looking in, would make us seem plain crazy.‘ This episode, British […]

For our last Video of the Week of 2016 I thought we would take a look at one of the still affordable and often overlooked classics out there. A car that could very easily be in the Sunbeam Tiger category of collectibles. Our Video of the Week this time around is a Buyer’s Guide to the Triumph TR8. This video was produced in 2015 by Hagerty, the classic car insurance folk. In many ways, the comparison to the Sunbeam Tiger is a good one. Both cars are the V8 derivative of their more common 4-cylinder counterpart. Both were produced in limited numbers, and both were ignored as collectible for a long time. In the case of the Triumph, it still is for the most part. Although that may be beginning to change, a quick search online will find nice examples till […]

This article first appeared on my new Land Rover Log, but I thought I would run it here just for your consideration. I didn’t just dream up this current Land Rover desire out of nowhere. Nope, back in the mid-80s when I was in college, I bought my first car – an MGB. I loved that car and drove it everywhere … until I drove it into the back of a stopped car as I was coming around a curve on Lockwood Boulevard here in Charleston. I won’t say the folks in the stopped car were doing anything wrong or wanting to get hit, but I will say that at least one of them got out of the car already wearing a neck brace.

Our video this week is a kind of birthday card love letter from Land Rover. I have to admit that I am a sap for these kinds of videos, and yes, I have been known to cry during Hallmark commercials. Seems this video, though nothing to do with Christmas, is perfect for this holiday week and remembering our families and the good times. The Land Rover Experience centre in Solihull recently welcomed a very special guest. Geoff, a lifelong Land Rover fan, celebrated his 80th birthday with a special surprise organized by Land Rover and his daughter. Getting behind the wheel of our latest vehicles, Geoff got some tips on off-roading from Phil Jones, our Land Rover Experience instructor. The surprises didn’t stop there as Mike Bishop, Product Manager of Land Rover Reborn, brought along a very special vehicle. Watch […]

Welcome to tthe Just British December contest. (Please insert trumpet fanfare as desired.) The way to enter the contest is simple and free – go to our new Discussion Forums, register, and then leave a comment. Yup, that’s it. You can post to an existing thread, such as the one about the contest, or start a new one of your own. It would be great fun if you would post an introduction to yourself and your car(s), but that is not necessary.  Just register and leave a comment of some sort. But please, no spam. If you spam the forums your comment will be deleted and you will be banned. (Hate to have to say that, but it has already happened.) Commenting here doesn’t count! Has to be on the forums. The prize for this contest will be the great DVD set […]

Our video this week is one I thought I had shown you all before, but I guess not. This video is drone footage of the 2014 British by the Sea car show, held annually in Connecticut. The 2014 show was the 27th annual gathering and saw over 400 amazing British cars, from classic to modern, small roadsters to large off-roads, daily drivers to treasured show cars. This gathering was organized by Connecticut MG Club. The video was captured with gimbal-stabilized GoPro Hero3 on DJI F550 Hexacopter.

It’s back! Yup, time again for our holiday gift giving guide. Honestly, I am not sure whether this is a list of items for you to give, items you might want to receive, or just my own personal wish list. (Hint, hint)  No matter what it is, it is simply a fun exercise in cool stuff for the British car fan.  This year we have broken the list of ten items down into five gift-giving categories: Toys, Tools, Trip, Library, and Clothing. I tried to make them all start with “t” but gave up on that. So, five categories with two items each. As always, let’s start with …. toys! Toys LEGO Caterham – a LEGO version of the Caterham seven 620R, a custom-built sports car with an unashamed old-school vibe. Power steering? no chance. Electric windows? forget it. The Caterham seven […]

Our video this week is one that I know almost nothing about – the Exeter Trials in 2007 at Wooston Steep. Although I really don’t know much about this event, and I am hoping that one of our readers can fill me in, watching the cars make their way through the muddy course is just too much fun. There are a wide range of cars represented, from an old classic Singer 9 Sports up through an Escort, Anglia, and TR7. According to the video’s publisher, Classical Gas Stuff, the cars featured are … Phil Watmough (Singer 9 Sports) Greg Warren (Anglia Estate) XXXX XXXX (Red Class 1 Car) David Child (Ford Pop) XXXX XXXX (Red Marlin) Alan Cundy (VW Golf) Giles Greenslade (VW Beetle) XXXX XXXX (Reliant SS1) Keith Roach (HRG) XXXX XXXX (Red Marlin) Ray Goodright (Arkley) Stuart Roach […]

Our video of the week this time is a preview of an amazing new DVD set, The Standard Triumph Story, that I was given the honor of reviewing. This is two DVD set with over 230 minutes of footage on the history of Standard Triumph from the early days to the very end. Yup, it’s almost four hours in total so it’s a rather extensive look at one of Britain’s most beloved producers of cars. It is crammed full of great interviews with the men who were responsible for the cars in the factory, on the racetrack, and just about everywhere else in between.

I got an email from reader Joanna Ellis this past weekend that intrigued me, so I asked her about her most recent adventure. First the initial email… I raced a 1965 TR4A in the late ’70’s and early ’80’s in the US at Bryar Motor Sports Park (now New Hampshire Motor Speedway), Lime Rock Park, Bridgehampton, and others. I still own my 1962 Triumph TR3B and a 1967 Triumph TR250. I just returned from the VTR National Convention in Texas where I was privileged to drive my brother’s ’62 TR3B. What fun!!! I’ve also raced a ’62 XKE and a nice AH Bugeye Sprite. Long time British car fan, Joanna Ellis With a history like that, how could I not ask for more?! Here are the details she sent us on the VTR National convention… I flew down (after driving my MINI […]

Our Video of the Week the Wednesday features a car we don’t talk about often, in fact, I don’t think we have ever mentioned an Allard here before.  And that is quite a shame actually, as they were handsome cars that combined British style with American power into a fearsome competitor. This video on the rare Allard J2X comes via the folks at Fifth Gear. Although made in England with a Cadillac powerplant, the Allard was always aimed at the American market. Production began in 1949 and lasted no more than a decade.  For a few short post-war years an Allard was often the car to beat, but by mid-1950s Allard found it difficult to keep with the ever more sophisticated products of larger rival manufacturers and in 1959 finally stopped making cars. These days, there are probably more Allard replicas […]

The subject of our Video of the Week this week is a Singer Nine from 1933. The Singers are cars that most people don’t know much about, if they know they exist at all. And yes, cue the sewing machine jokes. And the confusion that they are not MGs. Singers are gorgeous and fascinating cars in their own right with their own storied history. This example is a 1933 Nice Sport. To quote the video, Singer’s first sports car was introduced at the end of 1932. It featured cut-away doors, louvered bonnet and scuttle and distinctive helmet-type front wings. Under the bonnet was the classic 972cc single overhead camshaft engine and close ratio four-speed gear box making it especially suited to trials work. A Sports Nine achieved a notable success in June 1933 at the Le Mans 24 hour race. […]

I am beat from over eight hours of driving today to get here to Stowe for the British Invasion but feel I need to give you at least a few pictures from the fantastic street party this evening. The street was closed off, there was food, live music, and lots of dancing children. While all of the cars I have seen so far are great, a few really stood out. How about three Singer roadsters? You rarely see on of those, much less three at the same event. The Bristol pictured above was beautiful and drawing a crowd at every turn. And then there are the Healeys and the MGs and the Triumphs and the … well, you get the picture. And you will indeed get the picture because I will be posting more pictures reports as the show goes on. […]