Articles by Staff

MG’s British Touring Car Championship team has signed youngster Jack Goff to partner 2013 champion Andrew Jordan. The 23-year-old, who won the 2012 Renault Clio Cup UK title, joins the Triple Eight-run operation for his third season in the BTCC. Goff earned a career-best finish of second in his debut season in 2013, narrowly missing out on winning the season finale at Brands Hatch behind Honda’s Gordon Shedden when driving a Team Hard-run Vauxhall Insignia. He switched to Team BMR for the 2014 campaign, sticking with the Insignia for the first half of the year before changing to one of the team’s Volkswagen CCs for the final five rounds. “Obviously as a kid growing up, driving for a works team is the pinnacle,” said Goff. “I probably began watching touring cars when Triple Eight were hugely dominant and to now […]

The founders of most automakers aren’t still with us. Enzo Ferrari, Ettore Bugatti, Henry Ford, Louis Chevrolet, Kiichiro Toyoda, Soichiro Honda and so many others have long since left this world. Those who are still with us – like Christian von Koenigsegg, Horacio Pagani and Elon Musk – got into the game much later. Brian Lister hit the scene a long time ago, but until just the other day, he was still with us. But now his time on the racing circuit has come to an end. The founder of Lister Cars, one of Britain’s most legendary racing constructors, was born on July 12, 1926, the scion of a proud family of engineers. After training as an engineer himself, he joined the Royal Air Force just after the end of the Second World War, and soon after started trading up […]

Historic Sportscar Racing, Ltd. (HSR) has announced its schedule of 2015 events, starting in the winter wonderland of Palm Beach, Florida in January, and extending right through to December in Sebring. In between are five other Southeast events, making it a total of seven HSR events within 650 miles during the year. The complete 2015 HSR schedule includes: January 29 to February 1 – Palm Beach Grand Prix March 18 to 21 – 12 Hours of Sebring April 23 to 26 – The Mitty September 17 to 20 – Atlanta Fall Historics October 22 to 25 – Savannah Speed Classic November 12 to 15 – Daytona Historics December 3 to 6 – Sebring Historics HSR was formed in the mid-’70s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the race […]

Caterham is preparing to return to Formula One for the 2014 finale in Abu Dhabi next month according to AutoWeek. As it was put into administration following founder Tony Fernandes’ ill-fated sale to Colin Kolles-managed investors, the team as well as backmarker Marussia sat out Austin and will again be absent in rainy Brazil this weekend. But it then emerged on Wednesday that Caterham’s administrators, led by Finbarr O’Connell, have lodged an official team entry for the 2015 season. Marussia, now renamed to the operating company Manor, is also on the provisional FIA entry list. But reports that Caterham and Marussia have paid the $500,000 entry fee already are wide of the mark. That fee is not due until late November. O’Connell, however, who now runs Caterham, said it was imperative to lodge a 2015 entry so that the team […]

Jaguar teased an all-wheel-drive version of its 2016 F-Type R coupe. Full details will be revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month. Jaguar showed off the new car at Hakskeen Pan, a dry lakebed in South Africa’s Northern Cape. Jag says the new AWD F-Type R will hit 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 186 mph. The company’s Intelligent Driveline Dynamics traction control system will help in slippery situations. “Our target with engineering the all-wheel-drive F-Type was to maintain the engaging rear-drive character that’s so important to Jaguar sports cars, yet offer even greater dynamic capability,” said Ian Hoban, vehicle line director of Jaguar. Jaguar is also using the opportunity to announce its partnership with the land speed record-chasing Bloodhound SSC gang, who were also out testing at Hakskeen […]

This week we are happy to feature the latest video from the Morgan Motor Company. in our VotW (Video of the Week). “This Is How We Do It” takes you behind the scenes at the world’s oldest privately owned car manufacturer. Take an exciting look at the production line of our Pickersleigh Road factory and allow the Morgan craftsmen and women to talk you through how they hand build each Morgan Sports Car. From cutting the first intricate pieces of the ash wood for the frame through to final road test and PDI, this video guides you through the unique production process. Condensing a complex process of manufacture that takes over 4 weeks into just 8 minutes of footage was difficult. For the full Morgan factory experience visit www.morgan-motor.co.uk/tours  

Resurrected British automaker Lister Motor Company has released two sketches of their forthcoming hypercar. Back in September 2013 we heard Lister saying they are back in action and will resume production after an absence of almost 25 years and now the company has provided a first glimpse at their brand new hypercar. It won’t come cheap that’s for sure as Lister says it will cost somewhere in the region of £2 million (€2.54 million or $3.2 million) which means that it will probably go up against the LaFerrari, P1, 918 Spyder, One:1 and the Veyron successor. Talking to Auto Express, Lawrence Whittaker, managing director of Lister Cars, said the hypercar will be powered by a massive V12 7.8-liter engine capable of developing no less than 1,000 bhp (745 kW) which will be enough for a remarkable top speed of 250 […]

According to Car & Driver, Jaguar Land Rover wants to colonize South Carolina, or at least a few hundred acres of it, for its first-ever U.S. factory. While nothing has been confirmed, Jaguar Land Rover is making headway in other markets as it seeks to grow annual worldwide sales to 750,000 by 2020, an increase of 76 percent over last year’s record sales of 425,006. On Tuesday, the first Chinese-built Range Rover Evoque came off the line in Changshu, which aims to produce up to 130,000 Evoque and Land Rover Freelander models annually. Back home, Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to open a new plant for the company’s Ingenium engines near Wolverhampton next week. These additions come atop JLR’s smaller assembly plants in India, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Turkey. Brazil is slated for 2016. Saudi Arabia is another possible locale. […]

British Leyland – The History, the Engineering, the People is a book for those of us with a love hate relationship with the ubiquitous British Leyland. During the 1960s vehicle makers all over the world were looking to expand and amalgamate as at the time it was considered the only way they could survive. As a major manufacturing nation Britain at the time had a large number of makers of all kinds of vehicles and gradually many of them joined together to form two large companies. The first of these was the Leyland Motor Corporation which was principally involved with the manufacture of commercial vehicles although they had also recently diversified into cars. The other major concern was British Motor Holdings, owners of some of Britain’s iconic car makes including Austin, Morris, Wolseley and Riley to name but a few. […]

Our video this week is a little something different. It is a internal corporate video from British Leyland on the importance of quality in building a car. Some may laugh at this now, but it is obvious that the powers that be at British Leyland knew the had a problem and had to do something to address it. “The Quality Connection” is just such an attempt. If nothing else, view this 24 minute video for all the period cars you will see. And try, just try, not to imagine Eric Idle, John Cleese, or any other of the Monty Python bunch coming out to stop the video as “too serious” or something. It really does look almost like a comedy sketch to us these days, but then history and perspective can do that.

The British Car Club of Charleston will be holding its 30th Annual British Car Day at Memorial Waterfront Park, Mt. Pleasant, SC, just over the bridge from downtown Charleston. Wow, 30 years! And by the way, yes. I was there at the first of these shows nearly 30 years ago. In fact I was the organizer of that first show, and that show was held at Charles Towne Landing.  But let’s not dwell on my age, instead go enjoy the beautiful cars. In addition to the British car show itself, of course there is the beauty of the water front park to enjoy. SATURDAY – October 25, 2014 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 […]

In a press release, London Morgan announces the celebration of their first anniversary.   Symbolising the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Britain’s automotive legacy, London Morgan, the official London dealership of the country’s last independent family-owned car manufacturer, The Morgan Motor Company, is celebrating its first anniversary since opening its doors 12 months ago. Located in Astwood Mews in the heart of South Kensington, a cobbled oasis recently awarded honorary Garden Square status on account of its resident’s horticultural presentations, London Morgan launched in May 2013, neighbouring its sister company Monaco VW (incidentally, Britain’s oldest Volkswagen dealership established in 1948 by a Polish immigrant settling in London following WW11). Speaking about the establishment of London Morgan, Anthony Barrell, Dealer Principal of London Morgan says: “Since launching one year ago, we have had a phenomenal response from  customers across London, the UK and internationally. This is testament to an intense appetite for all […]

News Release From Jaguar Land Rover about the new, beyond drool-worthy, lightweight E-Type coupe. I don’t even want to begin to think about how much these are going to cost. Or how long the line will be to get one. Jaguar has revealed the prototype of its ‘new’ Lightweight E-type – a further six of which will be built and sold. Jaguar announced in May 2014 that it would recreate six new Lightweights, each built by Jaguar Heritage, part of Jaguar Land Rover’s new Special Operations division. Each of the six cars will be built to a specification originated from the last Lightweight E-type produced in 1964 and will be hand-crafted at the original home of the E-type, Jaguar’s Browns Lane plant in Coventry, England. The cars will be sold as period competition vehicles and all will be suitable for […]

For our video this week we have the second installment in Michael Austin’s “Allegories In The Garage” series. I first stumbled on Michael and his videos via the forums over on The MG Experience. If you haven’t hit that site, and are a fan of MGs, you owe it to yourself to do so. The video itself is a wonderful exploration of relevance and why we might chose to drive an MGB in this modern world. What can an old car, of antiquated design, without computers, without GPS, with a need for personal maintenance, provide for us in this day and age of automation and hands-off motoring? To quote Michael on this, “This is a very personal and unusual series that I have decided to do. It is a reflection on life as viewed through the projects in my garage. […]

MG is working on a new two-seater, according to Auto Express, one which will pick up where the MG TF left off just a few years ago. The MG brand has been slowly rebuilding following the Rover Group’s financial calamities a decade ago and a subsequent buyout by Nanjing Automobile, which was later absorbed into Shanghai’s SAIC, and the company is planning to return to its roots by offering a roadster in the future. Auto Express, citing an insider, reports that MG is currently working on two new vehicle architectures, one of which is aimed at accommodating a roadster bodystyle. Both new platforms, which are still in the works, are designed to offer as much flexibility as Volkswagen’s lauded MQB platform, which is currently underpinning a wide variety of small cars including the new Golf. The two new platforms are […]

Elemental has revealed its new RP-1 road-legal track car ahead of a public debut at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. According to the Surrey-based start-up, this open top, mid-engined two-seater will arrive early next summer and previews a “new generation of world class British sports cars”. The design centres on an exposed lightweight carbon-composite and aluminium tub, surrounded by front and rear body panels “shrink-wrapped” to cover the wheels and mechanical underpinnings. Power comes from a Ford-sourced 2.0-litre Ecoboost engine, tuned to 280bhp and paired to a six-speed sequential paddle shift gearbox. Customers with racing in mind can opt for a limited slip diff and alternative gear sets, although a reduced-weight track-focused model, featuring 999cc Honda Fireblade unit, is also available. Read more at: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/goodwood-festival-of-speed-2014/87543/elemental-rp1-new-british-sports-car-revealed

All of our recent weekly videos have been of the more educational and historic nature, but now for something completely different. This week’s VotW (Video of the Week) is a review from a few years ago of the Aston Martin DBS by the fine folks at Top Gear. Don’t know Top Gear? You call yourself a British car fan? If you don’t know them yet, you will after watching this video. Oh, and we of course mean the UK version produced by the BBC, not the rather lame US version. In this review from the BBC series, Jeremy Clarkson test drives the flashy Aston Martin DBS in his unmistakable style, before Top Gear’s tame racing driver, the Stig, takes it out for a spin round the track. And as with all Top Gear segments, be careful about watching this at work. […]

Octane Magazine is reporting that Jaguar Land Rover is to expand its Heritage division in what senior executives are referring to as a ‘complete change of mindset’ within the group, clearly aiming to emulate the success of Aston Martin Works and Ferrari Classiche. The revamped division will be based at Jaguar’s spiritual home, the Browns Lane factory site in Coventry, where production was based until 2005, when it moved to Castle Bromwich. The first of six ‘continuation’ Lightweight E-types is currently in build there, as revealed by Octane in May, but the buildings are now being equipped with service and restoration bays. These will allow owners of classic Jaguars to have their cars serviced, repaired and restored at Browns Lane. All classic Jaguars will be catered for, not just the traditional XKs and E-types, and there will be particular emphasis on […]