Highlights

Four years on from its global launch, McLaren Special Operations (MSO) will return to the manicured lawns of the USA’s famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance later this month with a selection of distinctive and beautiful commissions. The bespoke division of McLaren will showcase some of the individualisation options it will make available on the forthcoming new 570S Coupé, the first model to join the McLaren Sports Series. Two examples have been created. The first 570S Coupé ‘by MSO’ features the uniquely formulated Mauvine Blue paint finish coupled with a bespoke interior finished in Carbon Black leather with co-ordinating detailing, carried through from the exterior colour. A second 570S Coupé, finished in Ventura Orange and fitted with a selection of styling details from the MSO Defined range of options, will take up position on the popular Concept Lawn at the event. […]

“Team Amelia” will again be part of the annual Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on August 13-16, 2015. The historic car races at Laguna Seca are a large part of the annual festival and celebration of classic, historic, competition and collector cars known simply worldwide as “Monterey Car Week.”

Huge crowds expected as free-to-view motor show prepares to take over London’s “Mile of Style” The Regent Street Motor Show is the largest free-to-view motor show in the UK, showcasing an impressive 125 years of motoring history and taking place on London’s most iconic shopping street on Saturday 31 October; a date for the diary. 2015 promises to bring a family-friendly, highly interactive feel to the Regent Street Motor Show. Celebrating the earliest days of motoring with the pre-1905 veteran cars on display as part of the prestigious EFG International Concours d’Elegance, a stunning array of present day and yester-year cars is an exciting opportunity to get a glimpse of what the future of motoring might hold. On the day of the Show, Regent Street will be closed to through traffic from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus, providing a safe environment […]

The 18th annual British Car Day at historic Ocean Grove, New Jersey, will be held on Saturday, 19 September. This show is presented by the Positive Earth Drivers Club.

Aston Martin’s new 2016 DB9 GT will make its global debut as part of the marque’s presence at the Pebble Beach® Automotive Week from 13 August, accompanied by a glimpse of Aston Martin’s Second Century with the DBX concept, Lagonda Taraf and Aston Martin Vulcan supercar all set for appearances. The DB9 GT is the luxury British sports car maker’s most compelling production ‘DB’ to date, designed to offer world-class grand touring and hand-built excellence. Claiming the title of the most potent DB9 yet devised, by virtue of its uprated 6.0-litre V12 engine which now boasts 540bhp – the DB9 GT continues a distinguished tradition of luxury, excitement and style with a raft of engineering, equipment and styling developments calculated to make this the very best of what DB9 can be. Aston Martin’s ‘Second Century’ plan was announced by Dr. […]

The new 16 MY Bentley Continental GT makes its North American debut at this year’s Monterey Auto Week, alongside inspiring models from Bentley’s past and future. In a nod to Bentley’s illustrious heritage and celebrating its 85th anniversary, the iconic 1930 Blower Bentley makes its dynamic appearance in the Quail Rally. The week will culminate with a look to Bentley’s future; the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept will be situated on the Concept Lawn at The Lodge on Sunday, a vision of iconic Bentley design cues fused with progressive craftsmanship techniques to showcase modern British luxury. Michael Winkler, President and CEO, Bentley Motors, Inc. comments: “The future of Bentley is now, and Pebble Beach is the perfect backdrop to showcase the new Continental GT alongside gems from our past and concepts for our exciting future. The new Continental GT is […]

As part of an ongoing relationship with South and City College Birmingham, MG Motor UK has teamed up with the college’s social media students to find out what sparks their interest when it comes to online content. In June, seven social media apprentices from the Birmingham based college visited MG’s head office to discuss online interaction and how the car manufacturer can expand its social media followers.

According to an article in Automotive News, Lotus will bring the Elise to America no sooner that 2020. Nick Gibbs, UK correspondent for the publication says … Lotus will reintroduce the two-seat Elise sports car in the U.S. after the company brings out the next generation of the car in 2020, the company’s CEO said. The U.K.-based company first imported the Elise in 2004 but had to withdraw the car in 2011 after exemptions from certain safety regulations expired. It continues to sell a handful models for use on racetracks. Lotus recently made safety changes to the bigger Evora to enable the company to start selling that car again in January as a 2017 model, but CEO Jean-Marc Gales told Automotive News that similar changes would be too onerous for the Elise. “We’d need smart airbags, plus side airbags and […]

OK, so we have had Jaguar and MG and Triumph and Healey and Aston Martin and even Sunbeam. Oh wait, Morgan and Morris and Rover too.So this week we are going to do a more general video. This week we are going to turn our attention to our general love – Classic British Cars. This video is part one of a multi-part series that covers the full range of British cars, from the sports car to the touring saloon. There are many classics in this video that you just don’t see anymore – for better or worse. Some of these cars have gone on to become valuable collector’s items, while some of them have disappeared into obscurity.  How I would love to see a full range of these at a British car show. Not that I don’t love row upon […]

Another MINI ON THE MACK is in the history books! Although the world record attempt at the largest parade of MINIs fell short, the biennial MINI owners rally organized by MINI of Grand Rapids and MINI USA did manage to set the new record for the largest gathering of MINIs in the U.S. The event attracted 1,319 MINIs of all shapes, colors and sizes for the rally across the 26,372 feet long, 500 feet high span of Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge – missing the world record by only 132 MINIs. This was the second attempt at the world record for the largest parade of MINIs. In 2013, the brand had 848.5 vehicles attend the event. The current Guinness Record was set in 2009 in the UK by the London & Surrey Mini Owners Club, which brought together 1,450 MINI cars to […]

The technically advanced, aluminium-bodied New XK models carried over very little from the previous models. Produced from 2006 to 2014, they proved to be one of the best sports models produced by Jaguar. Still no replacement has been planned by the marque, meaning these cars will be much sought after, and meaning you’ll need expert advice if you’re thinking of purchasing one. For anyone with an interest in, or who’s thinking of buying one of these already classic cars, this Essential Buyer’s Guide is a vital requirement. Covering all variants, and highlighting model differences, it shows how equipment levels or colour schemes affect can affect price. Detailing everything from what to look for when you first see a car, to in-depth evaluation, even such matters as where to buy and what paperwork to check is covered, along with dedicated sections […]

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has contributed to the myth and legend of the contemporary music scene since the birth of Rock & Roll. Over half a century later, this long-standing love affair lives on, with some of the world’s most celebrated artists choosing the marque as the ultimate affirmation of their success. In this spirit, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to present Wraith ‘Inspired by Music’. Since the launch of Wraith in 2013, customers have been able to commission their Rolls-Royce Wraith with Bespoke Audio; the most exhaustively designed sound system in automotive history. Like every element of a Rolls-Royce motor car, its construction blends the finest components with the skill of the most eminent experts in their field. Now, with Wraith ‘Inspired by Music’, these characteristics, and the precious materials used in the Bespoke Audio system, are brought very much […]

An ultra-rare, unrestored and highly original 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Mk 1 Volante Vantage set a new record for Barons when it sold for £781,000 at Sandown Park on July 28th. The highest price ever achieved for a car at a Barons sale, it broke the auction house’s previous record of £739,000, set just three months ago for a 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback ‘barn find’. “We believe this may be a record for an unrestored example of this particular Aston Martin, so these are very exciting times for Barons,” said company director Peter Gascoigne. “The past six months since Tony Cavell and I took the reins have seen significant growth in the value and quality of cars across the sales, and in the overall sale results. To have two such cars within three months of each other is truly […]

OK, so they can be rude, crude, and insulting. And yes, well, the leader of the pack is a bit of jerk sometimes. But we love them. Jeremy Clarkson, James May (my personal hero), and Richard Hammond are not only irreverent and funny, but they are extremely knowledgeable about cars. And entertaining. Did I mention entertaining? Ever since the BBC fired Jeremy Clarkson for being a complete and uncivilized jerk, no argument there, the future of Top Gear has been in question. Would the show come back? How could it come back without its stars since both Hammond and May refused to work without Clarkson. And if it did come back, would it be a bust like the American version? Well, Amazon has answered the question. It was announced today that Clarkson, Hammon and May will be coming exclusively to […]

Classic Car Auctions (CCA) will be offering a unique opportunity to own a ‘brand new’ 1983 Austin Metro Vanden Plas 500 in its sale at CarFest South on 29th August. The car, offered without reserve, has covered just 741 miles and had just one registered owner since new, forming part of the famous and historic Patrick Collection housed in Birmingham. Very few Vanden Plas Metros remain on the road, and this rare car, the second of only 500 built, is believed to be one of only five left in the UK.

From the searing heat and dust of Dubai to the ice and snow of Northern Sweden, the new F-PACE has been tested to the limit in some of the most inhospitable environments on earth. Jaguar’s performance crossover offers an unrivalled blend of performance, design and practicality. To ensure that every system functions perfectly even under the most extreme conditions, the new F-PACE has been subjected to one of the most demanding test programmes the company has ever devised. “We developed the F-PACE to offer the ride, handling and refinement demanded from a Jaguar, together with exceptional levels of ability and composure on all surfaces and in all weathers. “Just as we paid obsessive attention to detail over the engineering of every single component, we’ve exhaustively tested the F-PACE in the most challenging conditions to ensure that it will exceed the […]

Salon Privé is proud to announce its partnership with one of the greatest global brands, Pirelli, who will sponsor the exciting new ‘Prestige & Performance’ Competition on Saturday 5th September at Blenheim Palace. As the first Concours of its kind in the UK to uniquely pay homage to post-1975 supercars, this event allows spectators to see stunning cars from the last 40 years. Presented in The Great Court and paraded through Blenheim Palace’s beautiful grounds, it offers the opportunity to experience the sights, sounds and smells of these fabulous vehicles first-hand. The innovative new competition is the centrepiece of The Salon Privé Supercar Show, the event’s first ever public day. Visitors on the Saturday will be dazzled by up to eighty motors, and the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the most beautiful cars ever made […]

For our video this week we are going to turn to a more rare, perhaps even esoteric, car but one that is highly desired by most enthusiasts. The Jensen Interceptor is a stylish combination of British sports car design, American muscle car power, and Italian bodywork. So, our Video of the Week (VotW) this go round is another episode of the television show Wheeler Dealers with Mike Brewer and master mechanic Edd China. The Jensen Interceptor was a sporting GT-class car. Interceptors were hand-built at the Kelvin Way Factory, West Bromwich near Birmingham in England by Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1976. The Interceptor name had been used previously by Jensen for the Jensen Interceptor made between 1950 and 1957 at the Carters Green factory. Jensen had extensively used glass-reinforced plastic for the fabrication of body panels in the preceding […]