Highlights

We don’t often cover advertisements here on Just British, but this one for the new Land Rover Discovery is kind of fun. In the ad, Olympic hero Sir Ben Ainslie battles a desert sandstorm to reach his Land Rover BAR sailing team. The 60-second advert was directed by Ridley Scott Associates’ Jake Scott and will be aired for the first time in the UK during the break of ITV’s coverage of the RBS Six Nations’ game between Ireland and Italy, at 2pm local time on Saturday 11 February. Later that day, on the same channel, the advert will be shown again during The Voice at 8pm local time. It celebrates the new Discovery going on sale in the UK with prices from £43,495.

In 2016 Morgan announced their first production electric vehicle. Capable of 100mph and 0-60 in 8 seconds, and still entirely coach-built, the EV3 has received great acclaim from motoring press and enthusiasts alike following its launch at the Geneva Motor Show. Morgan continues to celebrate this new chapter in their manufacturing history by announcing the arrival of the EV3 Junior targeting aspiring young Morgan owners!

Aron Taylor-Smith and Dan Lloyd will race for the MG British Touring Car Championship team in 2017. The duo replaces last year’s rookie pairing of race winner Ashley Sutton and Josh Cook with the British manufacturer. Taylor-Smith, who used to race under his unmarried name Smith, will step across from the Team BKR VW CC. His Rockingham win last year was his fourth victory in the category since he joined the category in 2011. It will be the first time that Taylor-Smith, 27, has driven for a factory team. “It’s a real shame in one way to leave BKR who did such an amazing job last year in their first season, but now I am fully focused on the 2017 season and excited to ensure I deliver the results that MG not only deserve but are capable of,” said the […]

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) has officially launched BAC USA Inc., as the British maker of the One-of-a-Kind Mono supercar expands its operations in North America. Having previously worked with distribution partners, BAC will now roll out a direct Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) strategy to bring factory assembly, sales, and maintenance services to United States shores.

Aston Martin’s Vantage GT8 will make its second competitive outing this weekend, as the marque’s special edition takes on Australia’s famous Bathurst 12-hours GT race at Mount Panorama. Having competed in last year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours in Europe, the close-to-production specification Vantage GT8 will be operated by Aston Martin customer team R-Motorsport this weekend in the event’s invitational class.

Salon Rétromobile 2017 will see the world debut presentation of the next in the Reborn series of expertly sourced and comprehensively restored Classic Land Rovers. Range Rover Reborn is a new program offering prospective customers the unique opportunity to purchase an original and highly collectible vintage Range Rover, direct from Land Rover Classic in the UK. The launch of Range Rover Reborn builds on the successful introduction of Land Rover Series I Reborn last year.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC today reported January 2017 U.S. sales: Jaguar sales were 2,939 units, an 117 percent increase from 1,352 units in January 2016; Land Rover sales reached 6,163 units, up 9 percent from record sales of 5,655 units in January 2016; Jaguar Land Rover January U.S. sales for both brands hit 9,102 units, a 30 percent increase from 7,007 units in January 2016; making it the best ever Jaguar Land Rover January sales month. After coming off a record-setting year in 2016, we are starting 2017 with a successful January sales month for Jaguar Land Rover and are proud to report a 30 percent sales increase. This strong performance is a testament to our expanded product offering, highly desirable brands and dedicated retailer network. We are in prime position for sales growth in the coming year. […]

Aston Martin Racing is once again ready to take on the world’s premier endurance series, with the team announcing its three-car line-up for the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) today. Fielding two V8 Vantage GTE cars in GTE Pro and one in GTE Am, the team’s entry to the series and this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans was confirmed during a web conference held by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest in Le Mans.

We decided to go a little more toward the sporting side this week – guess that is still a carry over from Daytona this past weekend. So, our Video of the Week this time is titled “Brits Who Made The Modern World: The Lotus 25”. In this 22 minute film, Peter Snow finds out how Britain’s successful Formula One industry has its origins in a remarkable amateur racing club and a visionary group of motor enthusiasts. He meets the surviving members of the Lotus Engineering team whose revolutionary car, the Lotus 25, changed the sport forever. To quote our old friend Wikipedia: The Lotus 25 was a racing car designed by Colin Chapman for the 1962 Formula One season. It was a revolutionary design, the first fully stressed monocoque chassis to appear in F1. In the hands of Jim Clark it took […]

Bentley Motorsport has traveled 17,000km from its Crewe headquarters to New South Wales in Australia to take on its first challenge of the 2017 season – Bathurst 12 Hours – where the team is looking for a win on the world-famous Mount Panorama circuit. A pair of Bentley Continental GT3s is entering the endurance race that sees more than 50 cars from the world’s leading manufacturers battle it out on the tight and twisting walled roads that wind over the mountain.

Some may not realize that the MG brand and logo are now in the hands of a Chinese firm, SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, a state-owned firm based in Shanghai. They are the largest Chinese automaker by sales with over 5 million units sold in 2014.

From the creation of New Phantom in 1925, every generation of this most fabled name in luxury has served to define its moment, not only in Rolls-Royce’s history, but in world history. Quite simply, it has been the choice of the people who have defined our world and made it turn for the last 90 years. From its introduction a little over 90 years ago, every motor car that has borne the title ‘Phantom’ has reset the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged. As Phantom VII gracefully leaves the stage, having defined the first chapter in the renaissance of Rolls-Royce, we look forward to building on its remarkable success with the imminent arrival of its successor. A bold, new statement built on an all-new architecture promises to light the future of the world’s most celebrated name in […]

Fifty years after Alvis stopped making cars, the company is back and its order book is open. And the company will have a significant presence at the London Classic Car Show (23-26 February, London ExCeL) to mark the occasion. Unlike some marque revivals, The Alvis Car Company isn’t simply attaching the famous ‘Red Triangle’ badge to the front of a modern supercar but instead is recreating genuine supercars from an earlier age.

José Mourinho, manager of Manchester United,  stars in a new Jaguar advertising film, celebrating the successful partnership between the two iconic brands. Taking to the streets of Manchester in the Jaguar XJ, Mourinho reveals what it takes to be ‘special’. Mourinho said: “Jaguar for me represents passion and performance. It’s one thing to play for a club, or to coach a club, another is to play or to coach with passion, and feel the passion, and I think Jaguar’s cars are also like this. You feel the passion that they invest into their cars”.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced that a record number of places are available for the company’s 2017 Apprenticeship Programme. Since the program was launched in 2006, numbers have progressively increased, with 2017 offering a record 20 candidates the opportunity to join the team at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex.

The MINI JCW Team took the checkered flag earlier today at Daytona International Speedway, winning their first race ever in the Street Tuner class of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series. With LAP Motorsports Team Owner Luis Perocarpi on top of the pit box, drivers Mat Pombo and Derek Jones held off heavy pressure from a number of competitors for more than four hours in order to bring the #73 MINI JCW to victory lane. The 2017 season is only the second full season for the team in the series. We knew going into the race today that we were going to be fast and that we’d have a good chance to win this race. I am so proud of everyone on this team for their hard work. A win at the high banks of Daytona to start the […]

According to a recent article on CNN, American drivers are growing increasingly fond of British-made automobiles. They purchased nearly 50% more British cars in 2016 compare to the previous year, helping British automakers hike their annual production to a 17-year high. The U.K. Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said nearly 200,000 British-made cars were shipped to the U.S. last year. Meanwhile, just 40,000 U.S. cars were registered in the U.K. in 2016. The U.S. is the largest national market for U.K auto exports.

As the Atlanta Concours d’Elegance enters its 2nd year within the highly competitive and globally recognized collector car realm within the U.S. market, the September 30-October 1st weekend’s premier automotive showcase takes on a broader format with a larger range of esteemed entries already in place.  While continuing to partner with Panoz and securing the prestigious grounds of Chateau Elan in Braselton once again, numerous newly shown collections and a minimum of 150 entries from 18 states, as well as Eastern Canada entrants, are anticipated – all vying for the prestigious ‘best of show’ award, among other notorieties.  Sports Car Market Publisher and Host of Velocity’s “What’s My Car Worth” Keith Martin returns, to take on the revered ranking of Chief Judge. Highly specialized collections and prior award winners will be competing throughout the weekend, including a 1956 Class-winning Austin […]