Marques

Things seem to come in cycles here, and this current go-round seems to be a Jaguar one. So, for this week’s Video of the Week we are going to feature a road test of the Jaguar XKR and XJR by Vicki Butler-Henderson from 2000. For those of you who don’t know, Vicki Butler-Henderson is a former racing driver, so very well qualified to evaluate high-performance cars. The XK8 was launched in 1996 to replace the XJ-S. Two body styles were produced – a coupé and a convertible. The car was the first in the Jaguar line-up to use Jaguar’s newly developed V8 engine – the AJ-V8. In 1998 the supercharged XKR was added to the range. However, both the XK8 and XKR are limited to a maximum top speed of 155.4 mph (250.1 km/h). As for the Jaguar XJR, well we all know […]

Bentley Team M-Sport is on its way to Belgium for the most significant challenge of the 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series – the TOTAL 24 Hours of Spa. As the blue-riband event of the season, the 24-hour marathon rewards the quickest competitors with more points than any other race in the championship – with points for positions at the six, 12 and 24-hour marks. The larger volume of points available means that the contest is the focal point of Bentley’s season, and the team is looking to improve on a difficult race in 2014 when both cars suffered misfortune but still finished P9 and P11 in class. Bentley will race with four Continental GT3 cars – two from Bentley Team M-Sport and a second pair run by the Bentley Team HTP customer outfit. The Bentley Team M-Sport drivers continue, with car […]

2015 is proving to be a bumper year for Barons. Its sale at Sandown Park on July 28th is set to be the company’s biggest yet, both in terms of numbers of cars entered – more than 80 are expected – and in value of the lots on offer.  The star lot, an exceptionally rare and original 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Mk 1 Volante Vantage, has been joined by an equally rare 1964 Bentley S3 Continental at the head of the extensive and diverse auction entry list. In addition, following on from the success in April, when Barons had its highest-value sale to date and set a company record for an individual car when it achieved £739,000 for a 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback ‘barn find’ restoration project, the auction house has now been entrusted with a second example of […]

Classic Automotive Events of Virginia, Inc. and the Central Virginia British Car Club (CVBCC) are pleased to announce its 31st annual Classics on the Green – Sports and Classic Car Show and Wine Festival. The show and wine festival will occur on Sunday, September 20, 2015, at the New Kent Winery, 8400 Old Church Road – just off Route I-64, Exit 211 – in New Kent, Virginia. The event opens to the public at 11:00 AM and will continue until 4:00 PM (rain or shine). Additional activities on Saturday, September 19th include driving tours, sightseeing, shopping, and dinner at the host hotel. Last year’s event was a huge success with approximately 250 automobiles and motorcycles on the show field and many vendors offering unique food, goods, services, fine art and crafts. This year promises to be even more spectacular, with […]

Jaguar’s Project 7 is to return to Shelsley Walsh this Sunday (19th July) as part of The Midland Automobile Club’s Jaguar Celebrations. The Project 7 concept car was filmed at Shelsley Walsh before its unveiling at THE Goodwood Festival Of Speed in 2013. F-TYPE Project 7 is the first Jaguar performance vehicle from Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Operations team, and will be produced in an exclusive, limited-edition run of up to 250 units. Its distinctive roadster body, introduced in concept form in 2014, pays tribute to one of the most famous and iconic racing Jaguars: the three-time Le Mans winning D-type. F-TYPE Project 7’s name pays homage to Jaguar’s seven outright Le Mans wins. The Jaguar F-TYPE Project 7 is not only the most focused derivative of the award-winning F-TYPE range, but is also the fastest and most powerful production […]

British Car Club of Delaware’s Annual Show will be held on September 19, 2015 at Battery Park, 60 Clinton St., Delaware City, Delaware 19706, from 9:30AM-3:00PM.  The show is open to all makes, models and years British cars and bikes. The featured marque is Lotus this year. Free dash plaques to first 75 registrants. There will also be goodie bags and door prizes. The popular choice awards will be held at 2:30. Additionally, there is convenient dining located near the show location.   The BCCD is open to both owners and enthusiasts interested in the preservation of all the marques of British cars. Our members own Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, Jaguars and MGs, among other less common English cars. Members of the club can be found at many of the classic car shows throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Information, registration, and photos of past […]

For four mid-summer days, from Tuesday, August 11, 2015, through Saturday morning, August 15, 2015, the 2015 Vintage Triumph Register National Convention will take place on the shores of beautiful Geneva Lake in scenic southeast Wisconsin. The event will be hosted by the Illinois Sports Owners Association, which is committed to providing each registrant with a wonderful experience at the convention by offering first-rate social activities such as a welcome reception, pub crawl/scavenger hunt, optional excursion boat ride on Geneva Lake, and awards banquet with remarks from guest of honor, famed Triumph race team manager Kas Kastner. In addition, there will also be numerous driving events, including a fun-khana, a gimmick rally, an ice cream run, a breakfast tour, an autocross and a self-guided tour along scenic Wisconsin rustic, country roads. There will also be technical clinics, an auction, a tour […]

Voting is hotting up in a new global poll by Classic & Sports Car magazine to find the best British car of all time, with the much-loved Jaguar E-type taking a narrow lead with just a few weeks to go until the poll closes. Once referred to as the most beautiful car ever by Enzo Ferrari, the E-type is just edging out its nearest rival, the Mini Cooper S, but with polls at www.classicandsportscarshow.com open until 1st August, there’s every chance that lead could change hands.

Founded in 1913 by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin as ‘Bamford & Martin Ltd’, Aston Martin has developed into an iconic brand synonymous with luxury and elegance. 1914 saw the birth of the name ‘Aston Martin’ following one of Lionel Martin’s successful runs at the Aston Hill Climb in Buckinghamshire, England. Within a year, the first Aston Martin had been built and registered with the name, and an icon of the automotive world was born. Obviously, our Video of the Week this time around focuses on the iconic favorite of James Bond, Aston Martin and the DB range in particular. The DB9 is a true automotive icon. A badge and bloodline which represents all that is great about Aston Martin – and British supercars in general. Each Friday during January 2014 Aston Martin released an exclusive film exploring the design, engineering, […]

JD Classics completed a dominant one-two finish in the Jaguar Heritage Challenge race held at the Brands Hatch Superprix this weekend. The team’s expertly prepared lightweight E-Types, piloted by Chris Ward and John Young, crossed the finish line nearly a minute ahead of the third place car. This was the third round of the Jaguar Heritage Challenge, open to all pre-‘66 Jaguars, the pinnacle of which is the class contested by racing E-Types. JD Classics entered two of its most successful racers: ‘1196 WK’ driven by the team’s in-house racing driver, Chris Ward, and ’61 E’ driven by historic racer John Young. Saturday morning’s qualifying session provided the first glimpse of the JD Classics cars’ pace, with Chris Ward setting successive fastest laps to put ‘1196 WK’ comfortably on pole. The first three cars on the grid were separated by […]

A closely-guarded partnership between Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and a team of budding racers finally broke cover on Sunday. The venerable environs of the Goodwood Motor Circuit did little to intimidate this team of maverick designers, engineers and drivers who produced a highly encouraging performance despite the wet track conditions. The car, a specially engineered electric racer, reached speeds of 8mph as it made short work of a track that has proved the scourge of some of the most revered names in motor racing history. From practice through to the final race, the twin-battery 24 volt power-unit and aero package worked in perfect harmony. The team, an enthusiastic group of 10 and 11 year-olds from The March Church of England Primary School, just 100 metres from the Home of Rolls-Royce on the westerly corner of the Goodwood Estate, were ecstatic with […]

Land Rovers of all ages and varieties will be heading to Beaulieu on Sunday 9th August, for Simply Land Rover. Now in its third year this event, taking place in the grounds of the National Motor Museum, puts on an impressive display that is sure to appeal to fans of Britain’s best-loved off-roader. From the classic Series I, II and III, to the rugged County and Defender, iconic Range Rover and capable Discovery, all Land Rover models and derivatives are welcome to take part.  No matter if your pride-and-joy is a battle-scarred workhorse, a pristine show-winner or anything in between, Simply Land Rover is the show for you. Land Rover owners can drive into the Beaulieu parkland to join the display, meet like-minded enthusiasts, admire the array of vehicles and enjoy all of the features of one of the south’s […]

A weekend of Jaguar celebrations will take place at Shelsley Walsh on the 18th and 19th July with a variety of cars including the XJR 9 in action on the hill. Norman Dewis Jaguar’s test and development driver of 30 years will be interviewed and signing copies of his new book. Throughout the weekend Jaguar will be honoured with special displays to commemorate the brands numerous anniversaries this year, including the 80 years of the Jaguar name, 60th anniversary of the Jaguar Mk1, 60 years since the last Le Mans win for Jaguar Cars Ltd and the 40th anniversary of the Jaguar XJS, 40 years of the XJ Coupe, 25 years since a Jaguar last won Le Mans. Action on the hill will include a demonstration of the Jaguar XJR 9 #187 which Jan Lammers and John Watson drove during […]

Car enthusiast and judge on the hit TV series The Great British Bake Off, Paul Hollywood, is set to race in the Jaguar Heritage Challenge at the Brands Hatch Super Prix on 11th and 12th July 2015. Hollywood will race in a stunning XK120 in the third round of the new and exciting racing series that is composed entirely of pre-1966 Jaguar models. Also lining up on the grid will be former Jaguar works driver and 1988 Le Mans winner, Andy Wallace in a MkI Saloon. Competing alongside Paul as part of the Tester Racing team will be current British Dunlop Endurance Championship leader, Calum Lockie, also piloting an XK120.

The MG YB. First of all it is a model that you just don’t come across very often. Second, they don’t normally pop up as barn finds. And third, this is the very first MG YB to roll off the line. Sounds like an MG lover’s dream. This rare car is now up for auction on EBay. Wouldn’t this be the perfect Just British staff car? Then it could be deducted as a business expense. Right? We will just quote the seller’s description to give you some idea of the car itself. It was thought that the very first MG YB was long lost, but has now been unearthed after 40 + years locked up in hibernation, by the previous owner. The proverbial ‘barn find’……… Number 1 – Chassis 0251 – First Registered 01 January 1952 –  First off the […]

It’s one year away but start planning now! MINI USA today officially announced the dates for the popular cross-country owners’ rally, MINI TAKES THE STATES (MTTS). MTTS 2016 will kick off on Saturday, July 9, 2016, and finish on Saturday, July 23, 2016. The route will be announced at a later date. In 2014, MINI owners and MINI USA team members motored into Boston’s Back Bay after completing a 5,142-mile journey from San Francisco that covered 15 cities and 18 states in 14 days. A portion of that year’s event registration fees were donated to Best Friends Animal Society, the charity partner for the rally. A charity partner for the 2016 event will be announced at a later date. “MINI TAKES THE STATES 2014 was such an amazing experience that we couldn’t wait to announce the dates for 2016,” said […]

John McEnroe swapped his role as a Wimbledon commentator for chauffeur car driver today, as the all-time tennis great surprised two unsuspecting Wimbledon fans with an unforgettable journey to The All England Club. McEnroe surprised tennis fans Tom Payne and Nick Webb, who were selected to take part in the Secret Chauffeur stunt and offered a VIP trip to Wimbledon as part of Jaguar’s #FeelWimbledon campaign. On route to Wimbledon, the real chauffeur jumped out the car to be replaced by John McEnroe as he took hold of the wheel and personally drove the two unsuspecting fans down to The Championships, Wimbledon.

‘Well, I have never seen one of those!’ was possibly the most-repeated phrase heard at the 53rd National Austin 7 Rally held at Beaulieu on 5th July. With a theme of ‘Austin 7s and their Cousins’ the event attracted a unique collection of vehicles that came from as far away as France and Germany to join in this most popular of annual events. Alongside dozens of the more familiar home-produced Austins were rarities from BMW Dixi, Rosengart and Holden – all owing their heritage to the genius of Sir Herbert Austin and his designers who produced the first Austin 7 model in 1922. The car went on to become ‘the motor for the millions’ and nowadays is one of the best-loved of pre-war classics.