Highlights

Jaguar will unveil the F-TYPE R AWD Bloodhound SSC RRV at Coventry MotoFest – one of the cars that will support the Bloodhound world land speed record attempt. The Bloodhound F-TYPE R is the latest project of Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations and is wrapped in a bespoke livery created by Jaguar Design incorporating the Bloodhound SSC colours. This year’s MotorFest promises to be bigger than ever with a range of attractions and gigs. The organisers close off the Coventry ring road to public traffic in order to host a number of motorsport activities and the Bloodhound F-TYPE will be taking part in laps on Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31. Jaguar will also be previewing its activities at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed – the theme of which this year is ‘Flat Out and Fearless: Racing […]

The Mini. The giant killer. The original automotive bottle rocket. Our video this week tells the story, especially of the Cooper S. “The Mini Story: The Original, the Cooper, the Legacy” is a 20 minute look into the history of this fantastic little car. This original Mini, of course, was designed for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Motor_CorporationBMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in England, the Victoria Park / Zetland British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in Sydney, Australia, and later also in Spain (Authi), Belgium, Chile, Italy (Innocenti), Malta, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates – the Mark II, the Clubman and the Mark III. Within these was a series of variations, including an estate car, a pick-up truck, a van and the Mini Moke – a […]

Jaguar is celebrating an excellent team performance in the 2015 Mille Miglia with all nine cars finishing the grueling 1,000-mile endurance rally across Italy, with two cars inside the top 200 finishers. In the year that Jaguar celebrates its 80th anniversary, Jaguar Heritage headed to the start in Brescia with three C-types, three D-types, two XK120s and an XK140 driven by famous faces from the world of motorsport, TV and music. In total, well over 400 cars took part in the punishing four-day event, which started in Brescia, headed to Rimini on the east coast, before dropping down to Rome, back up to Parma – taking in historic Siena and Pisa on the way – before finishing back in Brescia. Supported by an expert crew of Jaguar Heritage technicians, the nine Jaguar entries never missed a beat allowing each driver […]

Lotus Cars is delighted to announce the prices of the new Evora 400. The latest supercar from Lotus combines high performance with the legendary Lotus benchmark handling and is lighter, more efficient and dynamically better than ever, providing a purer driving experience. UK prices will start from £72,000 (for other markets, see table below). For this price the car benefits from a high level of standard specification including 370 mm composite two piece brake discs from AP Racing, a Limited Slip Differential, automatic air-conditioning and infotainment system including satellite navigation. In addition to this, the options list includes automatic transmission at £2,000, Alcantara or Leather trim upgrades at £2,500 and metallic paint at £900. A “Black Pack” option, available at £1,250, provides a distinctive look, with selected exterior panels including the roof, sills and centre section of the three-element rear […]

Aston Martin celebrated ten years of competing at the world-famous Nürburgring this weekend (16/17 May) and, in fitting tribute, the #49 Vantage N430, donning the same livery as the brand’s debut entry in 2006, crossed the line in first place in the SP8 class. The weekend marked a decade since the Aston Martin engineering team entered a race-prepared V8 Vantage road car into the Nürburgring 24-hour race. The car, affectionately named Rose, marked the birth of a new generation of Vantage-based sports cars and paved the way for Aston Martin Racing’s Vantage GT4. To mark the occasion, the Aston Martin Vantage N430 – running in the close-to-production-specification SP8 class – was adorned in Rose’s yellow livery and, at 1600hrs CET today, it crossed the line in first place with Aston Martin’s non-executive Chairman Dr Ulrich Bez behind the wheel. “Watching […]

The MG N-type Magnette was produced by the MG Car company from October 1934 to 1936. The car was developed from the K-Type and L-Type but had a new chassis that broke away in design from the simple ladder type used on the earlier cars of the 1930s being wider at the rear than the front and with the body fitted to outriggers off the main frame. This beautiful example of the six-cylinder Magnette was on display at the Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance on May 2nd in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The beautiful example is owned by Roy Crowninshield of Asheville, North Carolina. Its 6-cylinder engine displaces 1271 cc and has overhead cam, Marshall supercharger, side exhaust, and pre-selector transmission. Only about 700 N Type MGs were built between 1934 and 1936. The became well known in sports car circles for their lively performance. […]

In 1930, ‘Bentley Boy’ Tim Birkin claimed his aborted attempt on the Mille Miglia in his legendary Blower was due to a lack of “due preparation”. 85 years on, Bentley has ensured all plans are in place for a successful Blower run in the 2015 event. ‘Bentley Boys’ the Hon. Sir Henry (Tim) Birkin and Bentley Chairman Woolf Barnato were to be the first British drivers to attempt the thousand-mile Italian test of endurance, in a supercharged ‘Bentley Blower’ known as the No. 2 ‘Birkin Blower’. According to contemporary media reports, however, ‘much disappointment was felt at the news of the Bentley withdrawal from the Brescia Thousand Miles Race’. This year, Bentley’s original 1930 4½-litre supercharged Blower is aiming to finish what its sibling never started, taking on the world-renowned cross-country route between 14 and 17 May. Director of Royal […]

Bentley Motorsport is making final preparations for its toughest challenge since the start of its Continental GT3 programme, the ADAC Zurich 24-Hour Race, held on the most famous racetrack in the world – Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife. A pair of Works Bentleys will contest the race, joined by a third car entered by Bentley’s European Works-Supported operation, Bentley Team HTP. To perform against the extreme and unique demands of the world’s hardest endurance race, some highly experienced Nürburgring experts join the 2015 Bentley Boys. The first Works car will carry number 85, and feature a special and distinctive green livery based on that of the Bentley Speed 8 that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003. The #85 car will be driven by the three British Bentley Boys – Guy Smith, Andy Meyrick and Steven Kane – all of […]

In its 60th anniversary year Aston Martin Works played host to another hugely busy Bonhams Aston Martin Sale on Saturday, 9 May 2015, with £10.3m worth of rare and prized sports cars changing hands. The historic home of the great British luxury brand was the venue for the 16th annual Bonhams Aston Martin Sale, which saw around 50 classic Aston Martins sold. The annual sale is recognised as a globally-significant occasion for Aston Martin collectors and enthusiasts around the world. The 2015 event was the biggest to date, setting a sales total of £10,280,275 and witnessing a fascinating and diverse collection of Aston Martin-related automobilia go under the hammer in several hours of exciting and highly-charged bidding. Highlights of the day included the 1962 DB4 Series IV Vantage Convertible – originally the property of Sir Peter Ustinov – which sold […]

Over the next few days, I will be posting some pictures and impressions from the Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance that took place this past weekend in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Most of these pictures, such as the ones of the beautiful MGA that you see below, were taken by Leigh Gill of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This 1960 MGA Twin Cam Coupe is one of only 48 built in 1958 but not titled until 1960. It is owned by Bob and Lynn Wilson of Lisle, Illinois. Uncovered in garage in Wisconsin, where it had been carefully stored for 25 years, this beautiful car required only time, patience, love and a bit of touch-up paint to return it to its original charm.   Due to its highly unmolested nature, this car serves as a great example for those seeking orginality. Stay tuned for more […]

Luxury British sports car maker Aston Martin, along with its race team Aston Martin Racing, announced an ambitious five-car assault on the 2015 ADAC Zurich N24 endurance race at Germany’s infamous Nürburgring. Aston Martin Racing heads to the world-renowned endurance event on 16/17 May with a pair of works V12 Vantage GT3s, and has its sights set firmly on the outright race win in the top SP9 class. While Aston Martin has been racing at the annual Nordschleife event for a decade, 2015 is only the third time that its works race team has entered the top SP9 class for GT3 cars. In 2013, with the car running in the iconic blue and yellow livery of Aston Martin’s technical partner Bilstein for the first time, the team finished tenth after leading the gruelling race for more than half the running […]

General Motors has become the first car manufacturer in the world to produce 500 million vehicles, as Vauxhall in the UK – GM’s fourth largest market – celebrates 90 years of ownership by the US company. Commenting on the milestone achievement, Mary Barra, GM’s CEO, said: “During 2015, we expect to sell more than 1,000 new vehicles per hour, 24 hours per day. This adds up to nearly ten million vehicles, the most in our history. I look at this extraordinary volume as ten million opportunities to prove what kind of company we are and to say thank you.’ The landmark figure came 90 years after General Motors purchased Vauxhall in 1925 in what was the American company’s first overseas acquisition. Luton-based Vauxhall, which is Britain’s oldest surviving car manufacturer, quickly repaid GM’s investment and to date has sold nearly […]

It is Spring, a time of rebirth and renewal, and time to revive a venerable classic, the MGB. The Video Of The Week for this first Wednesday in May is from the series “Classic Car Rescue”. Classic Car Rescue, a series produced by Blink Films, has entrepreneur and car specialist Mario Pacione teaming up with automotive manager and technical engineer Bernie Fineman to restore six iconic cars, including a Jaguar, Porsche, Mini Cooper and Mustang. In each episode, Pacione and Fineman search scrapyards, wastelands and backyards for broken-down rust-buckets with potential. The pair go to work to bring each car back to its former classic car glory. With a deadline and a tight budget, they work tirelessly in order to impress an expert valuer for a glittering price tag at the official presentation. In this episode, the 3rd in the […]

Jaguar Land Rover launched its new Land Rover Heritage division at the Techno Classica show in Essen, Germany a few weeks ago. Body, trim and extended servicing items are available for Range Rover Classic, while for Range Rover P38 and Discovery 1 and 2, Land Rover Heritage supplies salvage and extended service parts to ensure customers’ cherished cars are maintained to the highest possible standard. For Series l, ll and lll, selected Land Rover Heritage Parts are available and the brand will gradually reintroduce more original part numbers – all made using original tooling methods and all items supported under warranty*. Land Rover Heritage forms part of Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Operations division and has been created to support the brand’s passion in nurturing and preserving its rich heritage of vehicles and supporting its loyal customer base across Land Rover’s […]

Having stated that the new Evora 400 supercar would exceed expectations, Lotus has now validated the claim. Early tests, carried out by Gavan Kershaw, Technical Manager for Lotus Motorsport, allowed Lotus to boast of a six seconds per lap advantage at Hethel. This validation drive of a standard road specification prototype Evora 400, running on road tyres and with standard road suspension supports the initial claim. Jean-Marc Gales, CEO, Group Lotus plc stated: “Internally, we all knew that the Evora 400 would be capable of exceeding expectations. Our initial pre-production tests provided immense confidence and a SIX seconds lap time advantage at Hethel. The previous best time achieved in the Evora S model was 1 minute 38 seconds; the new lap time set by Gavan is 1 minute 32 seconds. “Our commitment to reducing weight to create a lightweight and […]

A revolutionary Lotus five-door crossover is being developed at top speed at the company’s Hethel design studios. According to AutoCar, the Lotus Car’s CEO, Jean-Marc Gales, confirmed the news and said that it will be “a real Lotus” and “the world’s first lightweight SUV.” Perhaps the bigger news is that the crossover will be built at an all-new Lotus factory in southeast China and will be heading to production in 2019. Despite manufacturing the vehicle in China, Gales was clear that Hethel, England will remain the company’s management and design hub as well as the manufacturing center for the three-tier sports car range. The crossover will be the first result of a three-way joint venture between Lotus, its Malaysian owner Proton and Goldstar Heavy Industrial, a Chinese engineering and manufacturing company. Lotus hopes to capture part of the increasing SUV […]

The Jaguar lineup will significantly expand in 2016 with the addition of the brand’s all new, aluminum intensive Jaguar XE compact sports sedan which will join the modern Jaguar sedan lineup alongside the all-new Jaguar XF and Jaguar XJ sedans. A true driver’s car, the Jaguar XE redefines the concept of the sports sedan thanks to its advanced lightweight construction, streamlined styling, luxurious interior, and outstanding ride and handling. The XE goes on sale in 2015 in global markets and in 2016 in the United States and Canada. Manufacturing of the aluminium-intensive Jaguar XE occurs at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant in an all-new facility. Part of a £1.5bn investment, this flexible, purpose-built site will create 1,700 UK jobs. The Jaguar XE 35t model provides responsiveness and refinement from a supercharged 3.0-liter V6. Generating 340hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, […]

According to CarScoops, SAIC owned MG brand plans to expand from the UK into continental Europe with the GS SUV, which debuted last week at the Shanghai Auto Show. The MG GS will arrive in the UK in 2016 and will compete in the highly competitive compact SUV segment. However, the brand reportedly has bigger ambitions with the new model. According to MG Motor product manager Andrew Lowerson, the automaker will consider expanding into other European markets following the UK rollout of the GS, its first SUV. “The SUV brings something new to the brand,” Lowerson told Autonews Europe. With the GS, MG’s UK lineup will grow to three models: the MG3 subcompact hatchback, MG6 midsize model and the GS compact SUV. The latter will likely be offered with a diesel and a petrol unit in Europe. Porsche Engineering is responsible […]