Events

Bentley Motors’ first works entry Le Mans 24hr car will be playing a starring role at the London Classic Car Show this February. This incredibly important piece of Bentley’s motorsport history will be making a public appearance at the London Classic Car Show, where Georgina Riley will be taking the wheel. Georgina is a member of the Bentley Belles racing team – a four-strong all-female historic racing team that has competed in the likes of the Mille Miglia, the Le Mans Classic and the Benjafield’s 24 hours race in Portimao.

With more than 1,000 of the world’s finest historic competition cars racing on the famous Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, no fewer than 10,000 iconic cars from yesteryear on display in the infield paddocks and in excess of 100,000 visitors lapping up the magical nostalgic atmosphere, the annual Silverstone Classic is firmly established as the ultimate celebration of classic cars. In 2016, for the first time, the hugely popular three-day festival is offering an exciting new opportunity for an organisation to share in the success as the glittering event’s official charity partner.

British Motor Heritage (BMH) will have two stands at Race Retro – its regular one in Hall 2 and another one opposite dedicated to Piloti shoes – the latest addition to the company’s ever-expanding Motoring Classicsrange of online automotive parts, accessories and lifestyle products. The Main stand (No.B6) will feature details of: BMH’s extensive selection of replacement panels and bodyshells for such popular British classic cars as the Mini and MGB; bodywork and mechanical race parts for the MGB; Zircotec heat treatments; and the aforementioned line-up of products available direct from www.motoringclassics.co.uk that spans everything from car covers to clothing and model cars to Moto-Lita steering wheels.

Excitement levels are building for the second season of the Jaguar Classic Challenge as the Le Mans Classic is confirmed for inclusion in the all-new race calendar for 2016. The Le Mans Classic will be one of the major highlights of the forthcoming season that will see a diverse field of pre-1966 Jaguars going wheel-to-wheel in the competitive single-marque series. Jaguar has a long and successful history at Le Mans, with the marque first winning there back in 1951 with Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead driving the C-type – affectionately known as XKC 003.

Mulliner, Bentley’s in-house coach-building division, is revealing its latest range of bespoke creations for the Flying Spur, enabling customers to personalise the four-door luxury sedan to an even higher level. For the first time, the Flying Spur can now be specified with a refrigerated bottle cooler between the rear seats, painted veneers, Mulliner quilted leather, sterling silver atomisers and hide-trimmed stowage boxes. This new range of personalisation options are but a few of the limitless possibilities a customer can find with Mulliner, and further enhance the Flying Spur’s reputation for unparalleled luxury and refinement for both work and relaxation.

The Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA) and Bonhams today announced a new series for under 2 Liter sports racing cars built between 1950 and 1962 to take place at the HMSA’s Barber Historics and The Sommet des Legends in 2016. The U2 series will feature the “giant killer” sports racing cars from the 1950’s such as the Lotus 11, Lola Mk1, Maserati 200S(I), Ferrari 500TR(C), Ferrari 196 Dino SP and Porsche 550/RSK/RS60-62. Drivers will be competing both on and off the track with awards given for race results and best “giant killer” performance, as well as the most period correct car on the grid and for the person and or team who best exhibits the spirit of the 1950’s sports racing scene. “At Bonhams we see the world’s best collectable automobiles at our auctions every year,” commented Mark Osborne. “The […]

The Classic & Sports Car Show was an enormous success last autumn with 15,150 visitors attending the inaugural event. Now The Show is returning for 2016 – and it will be even bigger and better. Organised by the world’s best-selling classic car magazine, Classic & Sports Car, and Haymarket Exhibitions, The Show will return to the majestic and iconic venue of Alexandra Palace, running from Friday 28th October to Sunday 30th October, 2016.

Preparation for the gruelling Peking to Paris Motor Challenge is entering its final stages at William Medcalf Vintage Bentley. The Bentley specialist is preparing all four Vintage Bentleys entering the event, which covers more than 8500 miles over 33 days and over all terrains, including long gravel tracks, dirt roads, the Gobi desert and across Alpine roads making it a real endurance test of both driver and machine.

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) today announced that hall of fame sports car legend Bob Tullius will serve as grand marshal for its March 3-5 race weekend at the historic airport circuit. SVRA will share the venue with the TransAm Series as it marks its 50th anniversary in 2016. Sebring hosted the very first Trans-Am race in March 1966 and Tullius brought his Dodge Dart sedan home a winner. “Bob Tullius’ contributions to auto racing extend well beyond his hundreds of victories as a driver and team owner on tracks around the world,” said SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella. “Bob set the standard for presenting motorsport as a business platform for sponsors. His cars were always immaculately prepared and he helped usher in the modern era of branding through association with race teams.”

Beaulieu is proud to welcome two new rallies, Simply Aston Martin and Simply Jaguar, to its busy 2016 calendar of Simply rallies. Celebrating two of Britain’s best-loved sports car marques within the successful Simply rally format, these new rallies will join the six already well-established Simplys that will be returning for 2016. Simply Aston Martin will get the show season off to a racing start on 10th April, as owners of all Aston Martins, classic and modern, are invited to display their cars in the grounds of the National Motor Museum. A number of owners’ clubs are expected to attend the new Simply Jaguar, taking place on 8th May, which will gather together a wide variety of sports cars and saloons adorned with the famous leaping cat mascot, with all cars built by the historic manufacturer welcome.

The Performance Car Show presented by Landsail Tyres in association with Autocar and PistonHeads.com will host the public debut of the Zenos E10 R, a road-legal British track day car delivering 500bhp/tonne. This astonishing road-legal trackday car will be on display at The Performance Car Show between 14-17 January for the very first time, allowing showgoers to be amongst the first in the world to see the E10 R in the metal. Following the introduction of the E10 and E10 S, the E10 R represents the brand’s quickest, most exhilarating and most focused car to date. Powered by a 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine, related to that found in the Ford Mustang and Focus RS, the E10 R produces 350bhp and 475Nm of torque and is set to be one of the stars of the Performance Car Show.

MINI USA today announced the official route for the 2016 running of MINI TAKES THE STATES. The legendary biennial cross-country owners rally will kick off at Road Atlanta in northeast Georgia on July 9, 2016 and finish at the Thermal Club in Palm Springs, CA, on July 23, 2016. In true MINI TAKES THE STATES fashion, the route will not take a direct path from point A to point B. The more than 4,000-mile “track-to-track” adventure will travel up the east coast, across the Great Plains and over the Rocky Mountains before arriving in Southern California.  The legendary adventure, which attracts thousands of MINI owners and enthusiasts every other year, will pay tribute to the brand’s motorsports heritage by stopping at several professional race tracks to host driving experiences along the way.

After a very successful 2015 The Midland Automobile Club announce Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb dates for the forthcoming year. The year starts with a round of the Sporting Trial which is held on the upper banks of the main car park. A real test of man, machine and skill, and providing a great spectacle as the drivers test their skills to navigate a very technical course. MARCH 13 Sporting Trial April 24th sees the club run its MAC Classic, a classic tour for 200 cars with four start points and a tulip book with all routes finishing at the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb and a run up the 1,000 yards. Entry forms are available from the website and entries are now open.

Highly accurate recreations, not replicas, bring two bold Jaguar icons from the ’60s and the ’90s back to life. Two concept cars from Jaguar – originally built more than three decades apart – have been accurately recreated by classic car experts, who plan to offer exact reproductions for sale. The first is the mid-engined XJ13, a possible Le Mans contender built in the 1960s, while the second recreates 1999’s XK180, originally crafted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the much-loved Jaguar XK120.

One of the most exciting and interactive events dedicated to the most iconic small car in Britain is set to return to the calendar in 2016, with Mini World Live promising to be even bigger and better than the show’s debut earlier this year. Mini World Live to take place at Rockingham Motor Speedway on July 10, 2016 The initial event was deemed a great success, attracting hundreds of beautifully restored classics, modified performance cars and the UK’s leading Mini specialists and experts to Rockingham Motor Speedway. 

Caterham Motorsport has announced the calendars for its five domestic race championships for the 2016 season. The calendar takes in the entry-level Caterham Academy, which enters its 22nd season next year, as well as the hugely competitive, single-make series for Roadsport, Tracksport, Supersport and Superlight R300-S models. The Academy again features two sprints – at Aintree and Curborough – and five circuit races, joining forces with the other Caterham categories for the final four meetings at Snetterton, Oulton Park, Croft and Donington Park. Meanwhile, the non-Academy classes get trips to Anglesey as well as the traditional race abroad, this year at Zolder in Belgium. The R300-S field kicks off its season at the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, supporting the prestigious British GT Championship. The schedules for all categories have been carefully planned to include circuits that lend themselves […]

The Jaguar Heritage Challenge will return for a second season in 2016 as Jaguar Heritage confirms next year’s race calendar along with the driver award winners from the inaugural 2015 season. The 2016 Jaguar Heritage Challenge will take place over four race weekends between April and August and drivers will have the opportunity to race on renowned circuits in the UK and Germany – plus one more special race date due to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

The 14th Annual Kastner Cup will be hosted by Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) as a part of the David Love Memorial Races, April 1-3, 2016 at Sonoma Raceway. All Triumph-powered racecars with a current racing log book are eligible. The Kastner Cup race honors the legendary, R.W. “Kas” Kastner, a championship winning driver and team manager who led the U.S. Triumph racing program to countless victories through the 60’s and 70’s. Kas himself will present the cup to the racer he selects to receive this coveted award. Sonoma wine country is filled with activities, great food, and unrivaled natural beauty. If you are a Triumph owner or British car fanatic, don’t miss this event! The CSRG David Love Memorial Races is a very popular and well-attended event. Typically more than 175 race cars participate, divided into eight run groups […]