Highlights

Jaguar has announced the Jaguar F-PACE First Edition – an exclusive special edition F-PACE, strictly limited to just 2,000 vehicles globally. Jaguar’s world-class design team have created the unique and sporty First Edition to pay homage to the F-PACE’s original inspiration – the breakthrough C-X17 concept vehicle. The specially-created First Edition is the purest representation of the C-X17 and features exclusive design details true to the original concept. The F-PACE is Jaguar’s first performance crossover and is packed with world-leading technology including the new, super-fast and super-intuitive In Control Touch Pro infotainment system. Featuring sharp, contemporary graphics and a 10″ tablet style touch screen, the system is complemented by a suite of specially developed apps and a wifi hotspot that allows up to eight devices to connect at once. Gerd Mauser, Chief Marketing Officer for Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Two […]

MINI is continuing to expand its model range with the world premiere of the new MINI Clubman at the International Motor Show Frankfurt 2015. The MINI Clubman marks the brand’s first entry into the premium compact segment and will be on display at the show from 17th – 26th September. Combining increased interior space and versatility with the latest generation of technical advances and a high level of standard equipment, the MINI Clubman is set to make a big impact on what is a highly competitive segment. The new MINI Clubman: traditional concept, unique qualities, high specification. With its four doors, the characteristic split doors at the rear, five seats and a large and versatile interior, the new MINI Clubman brings the classic shooting brake to the premium compact segment of the 21st century. The most recent model is also […]

America’s British Reliability Run, a three-day rally in classic British cars for charity, rides again! The dates are October 16th to 18th. In 2013, twelve teams from all various marque clubs and all over the region ran a 750 mile route through Pennsylvania and raised over $9,000 for the Children’s Specialized Hospital in NJ. This year, at least twenty-seven ABRR teams will be driving through some of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey’s most scenic roadways at a time when fall color should be near its peak. The Run will begin in Quakertown, PA with its terminus in Milford, NJ. We will have dinner Friday night at the iconic Seneca Lodge, in Watkins Glen, NY. We will have a presentation by Bill Green, the historian for the Watkins Glen race track and International Motor Racing Research Center. After a ceremonial […]

History repeated itself last weekend as the JD Classics-owned 1954 Cooper T33 took a class win at the Brighton Speed Trials, just as it did at the same event sixty years ago. The latest victory adds even more heritage to the Cooper’s already-impressive competition history. The Brighton Speed Trials have been running since 1905, and in the 1955 event the Cooper T33’s original owner Cyril Wick competed in his car, setting the fastest time for sports cars over 2501cc. This year, JD Classics Managing Director Derek Hood took the Cooper T33 back to Madeira Drive in Brighton for the latest running of the Speed Trials. Damp roads and more than 90 competitors made for a hotly contested event but the dominant Cooper easily came out on top of its class with a top speed of 106mph and a fastest time […]

The organisers of the prestigious World Car of the Year Award (WCOTY), the number one car award on the planet, have announced that the 2016 WCOTY, to be named at the New York Show in April 2016, will be displayed at the London Motor Show to be staged in Battersea Park in May 2016. The World Car Awards (WCA) is a programme initiated by, and conducted by, automotive journalists across the globe. It is administered by a non-profit corporation, under the guidance of a steering committee of leading automotive journalists from Asia, Europe and North America. In that way, it draws on the experience and expertise already developed by various other award programmes throughout the world. Motoring journalist and WCA director, Mike Rutherford commented, “We are very happy to showcase the 2016 WCOTY at the new London Motor Show. We […]

Aston Martin has revealed a short video featuring Spectre stunt driver Mark Higgins at the wheel of James Bond’s newest Aston Martin – the DB10. The DB10 was developed specifically for Spectre and just ten examples have been built. The exclusive sports car celebrates Aston Martin’s half century association with James Bond, which started with the iconic DB5. Note: Press release courtesy of Aston Martin Cars.

Caterham has revived the spirit of one of its most illustrious Sevens – the boisterous 1.6-litre Seven Superlight – with the launch of a new special edition model. Just 20 of the special edition cars – launched at this weekend’s Goodwood Revival ahead of the 20th anniversary of the original Superlight in 1996 – will be built. The original Superlight’s production run ceased in 2004, but it heralded a new era of purposeful, track-biased Sevens designed to offer even more performance and low weight at a pared down price point. Despite its ultra-minimalist character – even for a Seven – the Superlight went on to become one of Caterham’s most coveted models, selling some 200 examples while in production. Priced at £29,995*, and sporting a similarly extreme spec sheet to that of the original, the Superlight Twenty receives a 135bhp […]

Tests conducted by the University of Portsmouth reveal that driving a powerful car can provoke a more dramatic physical response than enjoying a rollercoaster ride or jumping out of a plane. Working with MINI’s new John Cooper Works Hatch, launched this summer, scientists from the University of Portsmouth’s Sport and Exercise Science department ran a series of physical, psychological and physiological tests to measure the effect the car had on a selection of drivers and stunt driver, of Rush and Mission Impossible 5 fame, Niki Faulkner.

Aston Martin is today unveiling an authoritative new  Assured Provenance certification programme which, for the first time in the brand’s 102-year history, comprehensively assesses the background of its heritage sports cars. Created to offer a true blue riband service to heritage car owners and collectors, and drawing on the unrivalled knowledge of a committee of authoritative Aston Martin experts, the pioneering Assured Provenance certification programme is administered and run by the brand’s world-renowned in-house heritage car facility – Aston Martin Works. The first official authentication programme to be provided in-house by Aston Martin, the new scheme offers four levels of verification to take into account not simply all-original examples, but also sports cars that have been modified by Aston Martin itself over the years. As part of the painstaking procedure of examination and authentication, all cars submitted to the process […]

Lister Cars is eagerly anticipating this weekend’s Goodwood Revival with a host of Lister competition cars taking to the famous track. Some nine Lister racing cars, including five ‘Knobbly’ models, have been entered into the fiercely competitive Sussex Trophy on Sunday September 13th for world championship sports racing cars built between 1950 and 1960. In Goodwood’s own words the racers featured in The Sussex Trophy are “big, powerful cars, perfectly suited to Goodwood’s fast, sweeping curves, and which always produce a stunning spectacle.” The nine Listers will compete in an expected 31-car field racing against other period machines including several examples of the Jaguar D-type and Maserati Tipo 61 ‘Birdcage’ as well as the Ferrari 246S Dino and Aston Martin DBR2 among others. The privately-entered Listers include one Lister-Jaguar ‘Flat Iron’, three Lister-Jaguar Costins, three Lister-Jaguar ‘Knobblys’ and two Lister-Chevrolet […]

Jaguar will celebrate its glorious history in style at the Goodwood Revival this year, with the presentation of a selection of famous heritage sports cars, new products for heritage car owners and the opportunity for festival visitors to race heritage cars of the electric-powered kind on its stand within the Earls Court Motor Show enclosure. Jaguar is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2015, and Jaguar will present iconic and award winning Jaguar sports cars on its show stand. In addition, Jaguar invites festival visitors to compete using scale model historic race cars on a custom-built Scalextric race track, which will be positioned on the main stand. The 1938 SS100 Jaguar 2 ½ Litre is one of the rarest of the breed with only 191 examples ever made. Also on display is a cherished piece of automotive history – the 1950 XK120 wearing […]

Aston Martin returns to the evocative surroundings of the Goodwood Revival this weekend, with a selection of superb sports cars that celebrate the 102-year-old brand’s rich and exciting heritage. The luxury British sports car maker is once again an automotive partner of this year’s meeting at the famous old English race circuit where examples of some of Aston Martin’s most exclusive and highly-prized sports cars of the revival period – 1948-1966 – will be on show, and in action. Among the cars set to do battle on the West Sussex track will be a rare and valuable DB4 GT driven by Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman. Aside from the numerous iconic Aston Martin racing cars in action on the Goodwood track, the 1950s-inspired Earls Court motorshow will play host to a broad selection of Aston Martin models from […]

The new Lotus 3-Eleven marked its first public outing with a successful two-week test session during the industry pool test weeks at the renowned proving ground of the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, in which over 2,000kms were covered as part of a comprehensive test and development programme. Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer for Group Lotus plc, commented, “The success of this test session is proof that our development philosophy for the 3-Eleven is the right way to go. We’ve always said that to make a car faster you must make it lighter and this new car carries that philosophy to a new level. It condenses all of our engineering know-how into an undiluted performance-focused package and we’re pleased to showcase to the world, the quickest and most powerful production Lotus to date. The 3-Eleven achieved one of the fastest ever lap […]

Renowned writer of all things MG, David Knowles, has recently issued a request for information in regards to MGA.  His request is as follows: I am writing a book about the MGA of 1955 to 1962, the sports car that marked perhaps the most remarkable change of policy for the famous Abingdon company. It finally saw the abandonment of the old ‘square rigger’ MG styling that had seen service since the beginning of the 1930s, replacing the blunt upright shapes of old with a modern sleek shape. The MGB of 1962 to 1980 is, of course, the MG sports car most people now remember, and is rightly revered as a great sports car – more than half a million versions were sold. But it was the MGA (which had sales of more than 100,000) that broke the traditionalist mould.The MGA […]

A JD Classics-restored Jaguar XK120 ‘Jabbeke’ – famous for its Flying Mile world record – has won Best of Show at the world-renowned Salon Privé Concours d’Elegance. The impeccable Jaguar also won in the Post-War Coachwork class. The Salon Privé Best of Show accolade is the latest in a string of successes for the XK120 ‘Jabbeke’, named for the Jabbeke Highway in Belgium where it set a Flying Mile world record, piloted by Norman Dewis OBE. Following a full JD Classics restoration in 2013, the car won at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2014 in the Post-War Sports Racing class. A world-class judging panel, consisting of 18 automotive experts headed by five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell, carefully scrutinised a selection of the world’s finest cars in the stunning grounds of Blenheim Palace during the weekend’s Salon Privé. The […]

Just came across this troubling story from the Bay of Plenty Times in New Zealand. While the story of the demise of this car club is sad enough in and of itself, there is some thought that we may see this happening more any more. And not just in the classic car hobby. Many hobbyists in areas from model trains to surfing have voice that opinion that folks just aren’t as interested in joining clubs these days or getting together for physical meetings. Passionate enthusiasts from the British Cars Bay of Plenty club have decided to call it quits on the registered charity after 21 years of operation. Ron Harvey, 76, who has been president for 18 of those years, said due to ill health he had decided to step down and there were no volunteers to take on the […]

We are going a little more rare and esoteric this week, though when they were new they weren’t that odd.  Our Video of the Week returns again to the BBC series The Car’s the Star with an episode on the Hillman Imp. The Hillman Imp was also badged as the Sunbeam Imp, and there were other variations as well. The Hillman Imp is a small economy car made by the Rootes Group and its successor Chrysler Europe from 1963 until 1976. It was the first mass-produced car with the engine block and cylinder head cast in aluminium. Being a direct competitor to the BMC’s Mini, it used a space-saving rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout to allow as much luggage and passenger capacity as possible in both the rear and the front of the car. It used a unique opening rear hatch to […]

This just in from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars … “Our new Rolls-Royce Dawn promises a striking, seductive encounter like no other Rolls-Royce to date, and begins a new age of open-top, super-luxury motoring. Dawn is a beautiful new motor car that offers the most uncompromised open-top motoring experience in the world. It will be the most social of super-luxury drophead motor cars for those who wish to bathe in the sunlight of the world’s most exclusive social hotspots. Quite simply, it is the sexiest Rolls-Royce ever built. The name ‘Dawn’ perfectly suggests the fresh opportunities that every new day holds – an awakening, an opening up of one’s senses and a burst of sunshine. In its tentative, inchoate, anticipatory state, dawn is the world coming to light from the ethereal dark of the night. The early-day chill of dawn provides an […]