Highlights

MG Motor UK has maintained its position as the UK’s fastest-growing car manufacturer after posting its 25th consecutive month of year-on-year growth in November. MG recorded 1,186 sales over the course of the month, a 29% increase compared to last November. MG also achieved a record monthly market share since, securing 0.76% of the new car market. Year-to-date, MG has sold 11,373 cars, 35% more than in the same 11 months last year.

An ultra-rare 1960 Triumph TRS sports car with Le Mans provenance has been acquired for sale by Bicester Heritage-based specialists in post-war British sports cars, Pendine Historic Cars, offering an unmissable opportunity for collectors of the world’s most important historic race cars. As one of just four ever built, the ex-works 1960 Triumph TRS is famous for playing a significant role in British motoring history as one of three cars which competed in Triumph’s 1960 and 1961 assault in the 24 hours of Le Mans, with their performance resulting in the prestigious manufacturer’s team prize. Registered as ‘927 HP’, the car set the scene for the yet to be released TR4 featuring one of the very rare ‘Sabrina’ twin cam prototype engines, developed specifically for the demanding Le Mans race by the Triumph Competition department in 1959, of which only […]

The two-seat sports car offers a perfect balance of performance and driver reward with an even more muscular, assertive design and a cabin defined by rich, luxurious materials and beautiful details. The range of powerful, responsive engines includes four-, six- and eight-cylinder options, all matched to eight-speed Quickshift transmissions with full manual control using either the SportShift gear selector or the steering wheel-mounted paddles. The new F-TYPE also offers more driver-focused technology, including a reconfigurable, high-definition, 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster, Touch Pro infotainment system, and Smartphone Pack with Apple CarPlay® as standard. Smartphone Pack also includes Android Auto and Baidu CarLife, depending on market applicability, as standard. Software-over-the-air functionality means future software updates can be made at the customer’s convenience without having to visit a Retailer. Two superb Meridian sound systems offer enhanced sound reproduction.

Aston Martin Lagonda’s second UK manufacturing plant has started to produce cars, as the latest pre-production models of the luxury British carmaker’s first SUV, the Aston Martin DBX, are built. The 90-acre, former Ministry of Defence site at St Athan in Wales was announced as the second UK plant for Aston Martin Lagonda in early 2016 and since then the whole site, including three ‘Super Hangars’, has been transformed into a modern manufacturing facility for our hand-crafted British cars. Forming part of Aston Martin’s continued investment in the UK, the opening of St Athan has so far created 200 jobs and is expected to create up to 550 more. Also, as a direct result of this investment a further 3,000 jobs will likely be created across the supply chain and local businesses.

An amazing Group B MG Metro 6R4 with just seven miles on the odometer is heading to Silverstone Auctions sale on the 26th to 28th July at the Silverstone Classic. The legend that is Group B rallying, which sadly came to a premature end on the 31st December 1986 due to a number of fatalities, the most notable being Henri Toivonen, generated some truly remarkable rally cars. One of which was the Metro 6R4, (6 cylinder Rally 4 wheel-drive).

MG Motor UK is celebrating its nineteenth consecutive record-breaking month for sales with the confirmation of May’s sales figures by the SMMT. With sales reaching 1,212 cars in May alone, MG has seen its second largest month ever, increasing its volume by almost 50% compared to the same month in 2018. Year-to-date MG’s sales volume is up by almost 53%, meaning that MG retains its crown as the fastest-growing car manufacturer in the UK.

Jaguar today announced that Ian Callum, Director of Design, is to leave his position at the company after two decades heading up Jaguar Design. Julian Thomson, currently Creative Design Director, has been appointed to the role of Director of Design, effective July 1, 2019. Since joining Jaguar in 1999, Ian has built a world-class creative design team, established a new design philosophy and revived the range with award-winning designs. These include F-TYPE – Jaguar’s first two-seater sports car since the iconic E-type – the XE, XF and XJ saloons, and the marque’s first SUVs – F-PACE, E-PACE and most recently the all-electric I-PACE, which in April was crowned 2019 World Car of the Year, World Car Design of the Year and World Green Car.

Lotus has confirmed that Type 130, the brand’s first all-new model in more than a decade, will be revealed to the world’s media at an exclusive event in Central London on July, 16th. Following first confirmation of the project in April at the Shanghai International Auto Show, several hundred potential owners have come forward to express their interest in the new car.  Today, the company announces that a maximum of just 130 examples will be available to own – representing the number of Lotus ‘Types’ introduced during the brand’s 71-year history. Lotus also confirms today that Type 130 will be built at Hethel in Norfolk, the brand’s headquarters since 1966. Type 130 will be the most dynamically accomplished road car in the company’s history, continuing a bloodline rich in firsts and technical game-changers in automotive and motorsport. A short film, […]

Jaguar Land Rover retail sales in February 2019 were 38,288 vehicles, down 4.1% compared to February last year. Strong sales of I-PACE, E-PACE, refreshed Range Rover and Range Rover Sport were offset by overall weak customer demand in China as well as the run out of the old Range Rover Evoque, with sales of the all-new Evoque expected to ramp up over the coming months. February 2019 Change year-on-year Apr 2018 – Feb 2019 Change year-on-year Jaguar Land Rover 38,288 (4.1)% 502,020 (5.4)% Jaguar 12,235 5.8% 155,936 3.8% Land Rover 26,053 (8.1)% 346,084 (9.0)% Retail sales were up significantly in North America (25.4%), UK (11.3%) and modestly higher in Europe (1.1%) but weaker market conditions continued to weigh on sales in China (down 47.6%).

Jaguar’s women are celebrating International Women’s Day by showcasing automotive industry careers in a new video. The video, called #SheDidIt, stars some of the female employees who design, manufacture, test and sell our cars. Creating a workforce as diverse as our customers will help Jaguar deliver the cars women want. The women of #SheDidIt tell a full female story of Jaguar vehicles, from clay modeler Shamaila Khan’s design work right through to customer Jess Monks, who loves her Jaguar F-PACE performance SUV.

Aston Martin DBX – the British luxury marque’s first SUV – has continued its intensive development programme this week at Pirelli’s official test facility, close to the Arctic Circle in Sweden. Pirelli’s R&D Sottozero Centre at the Flurheden Proving Ground provides a range of extreme environments, from snowy roads to ice handling courses, allowing Aston Martin’s vehicle dynamics specialists – led by Aston Martin Chief Engineer, Matt Becker – to put the DBX prototype to the test.

Jaguar Land Rover is the first car maker to put its cars to the test with the AIR Index – and the new independent on-road emissions testing procedure has found that Jaguar Land Rover diesel models have some of the lowest NOx emissions of any car on sale today. The models independently tested for the AIR Index were 180hp 2.0-liter diesel Ingenium 4WD versions of the Jaguar E-PACE, Land Rover Discovery Sport and outgoing Range Rover Evoque. The AIR Index has previously rated the Land Rover Discovery 3.0TD6. All four achieved an ‘A’ rating – the top rating possible – signifying that each of them emits between 0-80mg/km of nitrogen oxides or NOx.

MG Motor UK is set to launch its very first battery electric vehicle in the UK this autumn with the arrival of the MG ZS electric SUV. With a full-sized boot and room for five, the MG ZS EV is the perfect car for people who want to go electric but also need the space and practicality of a compact SUV. Since launch in November 2017, MG ZS has become a familiar sight on British roads, always propelled by unleaded petrol fuel. With prices starting from just £12,495, packed full of tech and sporting a 7-year warranty, MG ZS has become a popular choice amongst British car buyers. From autumn, the petrol version will be joined by its zero-emissions electric equivalent, bringing affordable electric motoring to the British public.

Investindustrial has today announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Morgan Motor Company Ltd (“Morgan”), the iconic 110-year old British sports cars manufacturer. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and it is expected to complete in April 2019. The Morgan family will continue to act as stewards for the brand and retains a minority shareholding. Meanwhile, for the first time in its history, the management team and all employees will have a share of the business. The investment is executed without financial debt, and Morgan will have a positive net cash position upon closing of the transaction. The investment in Morgan is made by a separate fund (with a different strategy) from Investindustrial V L.P. (whose investment subsidiaries hold a stake in Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC).

The latest title from Porter Press takes readers behind the scenes at Aston Martin to witness the resurrection of the DB4 G.T., one of the most desirable cars ever made. Aston Martin DB4GT Continuation – History in the Making by James Page is due out this month in the UK with sales in the US shortly thereafter with a cover price of $60usd. When the Aston Martin announced in early 2017 that it would build 25 Continuation examples of this model, first made from 1959 to 1963, author James Page was granted exclusive access to key people involved in the project and to the Aston Martin Works factory where the cars took shape.

John Haynes, the entrepreneur and creator of the Haynes Manual, founder of the Haynes Publishing Group PLC and the Haynes International Motor Museum passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on the evening of Friday, February 8th, aged 80, after a short illness. John was a kind, generous, loving and devoted husband, brother, father and grandfather, who will be missed enormously.

Aston Martin has agreed to an important new long-term partnership with the D’station Racing AMR team, signaling a high-profile return to the Japanese Super GT Championship for the British luxury sportscar manufacturer in 2019. The agreement, which features the highest level of partner support from Aston Martin Racing, includes a one-car programme in the Super GT 300 class (comprised mainly of customer and works-supported GT3 machinery) using the new Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

Our video this week comes from a show local to me  – the Cars at Kiawah show. This is a great show of about 300 cars with mixed marques, mixed ages, and mixed types. This past year Dennis Gage from “My Classic Car TV” came out and covered the show. Of particular interest to our readers will be the first vehicle featured, a 1954 Austin Champ. You may be familiar with the smaller Austin Gypsy, but how many of you have seen a Champ?