Marques

MG is launching a special MG6 BTCC Edition to celebrate its hugely successful return to Britain’s favourite saloon car racing series. The MG6 GT BTCC Edition was previewed at the final round of the 2012 MSA Dunlop British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch where MG’s Jason Plato clinched an amazing third place in the championship after taking the chequered flag six times in the season. The road-going MG6 BTCC Edition is on sale for just £16,995.

A great article in the Southern Daily Echo on a rare 1937 MG SA drophead coupe. It was brought as a “cheap run around” by a Southampton student for just £30 back in 1966. This vintage 1937 MG was snapped up by a young Lob Vinycomb from a Hampshire garage almost half a century ago. Now, 46 years later, the same car has been sold by the same garage – for more than £60,000. But Isle of Wight man Lob was briefly reunited with the prized vehicle, before it is handed over to its new owners. Philip Scott, owner of Beaulieu Garage in the New Forest, was contacted by the car’s latest owner, who lived in Cornwall, asking if he would interested in selling the collectable SA Drophead Coupe. Read the full article on the beautiful MG at the Southern Daily […]

The 1974 Rolls-Royce owned by former Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has been sold at auction for more than six times its guide price, fetching £74,000. This is equal to approximately $117,000 USD. The 62,000-mile classic Rolls-Royce had a guide price of just £9,000-£11,000. It features grey leather, wood trim, electric windows, automatic gearbox, a car phone and radio casette player. Power is provided by a 6.75-litre V8 engine. It was sold as part of the Coys auction on January 12, 2013, at Autosport International to a Russian businessman through telephone bidding.

Iconic and now wholly Chinese-owned car maker MG is the fastest-growing British brand in the UK, according to official industry data. Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reveal MG sales grew by 117 per cent in 2012, boosted by the opening of eight new dealerships. The famous MG octagon enjoyed its best sales year in the UK since 2006, with more cars sold last year than in 2010 and 2011 combined. That success was mirrored in China where SAIC Motor, MG’s parent company, sold over 200,000 units across its MG and (China-only) Roewe brands – a 23 per cent increase over 2011 – representing the biggest growth within the SAIC group’s automotive divisions. Worldwide growth for the brand is equally encouraging with MG growing at a faster rate than any time in the marque’s 89-year history. […]

MINI has won the 2013 Dakar Rally, a gruelling off-road rally raid race held this year over a 5,300-mile route between Lima, Peru and Santiago, Chile. Stéphane Peterhansel and co-driver / navigator Jean-Paul Cottret drove the winning MINI Countryman-based ‘ALL4 Racing’ competition vehicle run by the X-raid Team, with the French pairing retaining their 2012 crown. Their overall time of 38 hours 32 minutes and 39 seconds secured a 42 minute 22 second lead over their next closest competitors, cementing the British marque’s victory. Senior Vice President MINI Brand Management, Dr Kay Segler: “This is a magnificent triumph and I would like to offer our congratulations on behalf of MINI not only to Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret, but also to Sven Quandt’s entire X-raid Team. “The victory of the MINI ALL4 Racing last year was without doubt a surprise […]

International icon and British car manufacturer Aston Martin turned 100th anniversary Tuesday, 16 January,  in Chelsea’s Henniker Mews the original home of the company. Founded on 15 January 1913, Aston Martin designs and manufactures around 3,500 exclusive sports cars at its Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire every year. “I am proud to be celebrating 100 years of heritage and the best of British craftsmanship,” said Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez. Dr Bez described Aston Martin as “the coolest luxury car brand on the planet,” an argument heightened by its connection to the James Bond film franchise, featuring in the latest blockbuster Skyfall. The event in London marks the start of a year-long celebration with events taking place across the world, including a week-long Aston Martin festival in July where enthusiasts will be able to see how the car is made at […]

The Telegraph has an excellent review of the new car with the old name – the Aston Martin Vanquish. But really, can any Aston Martin be bad? Check out the Telegraph’s full review.

Jaguar revealed the F-TYPE, an all-new convertible sports car at an event in Paris late last month. The new Jaguar F-TYPE represents a return to the company’s heartland: a two-seat, convertible sports car focused on delivering performance, agility and maximum driver engagement. The F-TYPE is a continuation of a sporting bloodline that stretches back more than 75 years and encompasses a heritage of beautiful, thrilling and desirable cars. The car was revealed in front of the dramatic setting of the 18th century Musee Rodin. Following the reveal, singer Lana Del Rey took to the stage and performed a new track ‘Burning Desire,’ that she has written as part of her collaboration with Jaguar for the launch of the F-TYPE. The track is confirmed to be the soundtrack to a short film that is being produced in association with Ridley Scott […]

MG has launched a new deal where almost any old banger attracts a trade-in value of £3,000. The company claims the deal is probably the most generous on the market at the moment, with any roadworthy car with at least 14 days’ MOT remaining qualifying for the generous valuation. The offer, which evokes memories of the ’scrappage’ incentive scheme of several years ago, is redeemable against either of the two MG6 models in the range; the Magnette and the GT fastback. Meanwhile, another offer on the two cars entices buyers with a fuel card pre-loaded to the value of £2,400 and usable at Tesco and Morrisons’ supermarket filling stations. This is a separate deal that cannot be taken in conjunction with the £3,000 used-car valuation. Clint Cordle, MG Motor UK’s marketing manager, says: “These are both exceptionally good deals on […]

Jaguar has launched an all-wheel-drive version of its XF and XJ models in North America in the hope that the extreme weather conditions characteristic of the region’s “snow states” will drive demand. The luxury carmaker, part of the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) group, chose the Meatpacking District in Manhattan, New York, to put the AWD ehicles on display to the public yesterday. “The cars will be perfectly set up for the extremes of weather that can hit this part of the world,” said Andy Goss, the President of Jaguar Land Rover in North America. “When it snows here it snows. We need to have products that are technically capable of coping with extreme weather conditions.” Read further details on The Telegraph

Amid the music and medals taking centre stage in last night’s Olympics Closing Ceremony in London, three Rolls-Royce Phantoms had their own fleeting but spectacular moment in the spotlight. The specially-made Phantom Series II Drophead Coupés traversed the Olympic Stadium in east London, each displaying newly-designed Rolls-Royce badges, the first time the badges have been revamped in the iconic British car-maker’s 108-year history. As they crossed the auditorium during the ceremony’s ‘A Symphony of British Music’ section, one the cars dropped its retractable roof to reveal British singer Jessie J, who proceeded to entertain the crowd with a live performance from the back of the car as it circled the stadium. Sunday’s closing ceremony opened the stage to multi-cultural motors, rather than just The Ultimate Marketing Machine, BMW, who were sponsors of the sports spectacular. Swathed in newspaper there was […]

Stepping into the Morgan factory in Malvern is like stepping back in time. There is a wonderful article on the Moss Motoring site about a tour through the factory that has been producing Morgans since 1919. To understand the circuitous path that a Morgan car travels, from Malvern Link to your driveway, we were lucky enough to have a docent to shepherd us through the process. Dixon is the embodiment of an English gentleman. He has been part of Morgan for many years and he led our group through the Morgan manufacturing process. Be sure to check out the list of 10 Morgan facts you didn’t know!

The Peachtree MG Registry of Atlanta completed their hosting of the North American MGB Register (NAMGBR) National Convention this past Sunday in Dillard, GA at the Dillard House Inn & Resort (www.dillardhouse.com). The event showed a record attendance with nearly 300 cars registered and over 230 cars making it to the show field on Saturday. Both numbers are records for NAMGBR National Convention shows. In addition to the Saturday car show, attendees were also treated to multiple events throughout the week. Tech sessions were held at the Dillard House Convention Center on multiple topics Wednesday through Saturday, including a “rolling tech session” by John Twist of University Motors in Michigan. Event participants could roll their car through a tech station and have any problems with their cars diagnosed. MG 2012 also featured touring events to The Tail of the Dragon […]

The MG Icon has been awarded the ‘Best Concept’ title at the Beijing Motor Show, following its world debut in China. The MG Icon beat the Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupe and Honda Concept C in scooping the award. The MG Icon is the first SUV concept car from the company and was created by the MG global design team headed by British director Anthony Williams-Kenny. The designers are said by the company to have taken inspiration from some of the brand’s most famous sports cars including the MGA and MGB GT. Williams-Kenny said: “The MG brand has a unique set of values and heritage and allows us to offer individual design values to our products. The MG Icon represents our vision of a modern MG and we feel that the small SUV canvas demonstrates MG’s capacity for progressive […]

Even though Lotus and Mansory have two compete different approach to making cars – the former likes light and agile cars with no excess, while the former prefers big, ostentatious cars with lots of garnish – they decided to join forces. Lotus officially announced Mansory as their customization studio. Their differences will complement each other, probably. Mansory has already had a go at the Lotus Evora, and contributed on the Evora GTE and Swiss Beatz Red Evora projects, but the first outcome of this alliance will be shown at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Lotus does not reveal any details on it, they just say it’s very exciting. For Lotus Mansory will be providing bodywork, trim and special finishes for the Elise, Exige and Evora. As the Official Customisation Studio, Mansory is working closely with Lotus’ engineers and designers to […]

On April 22, this year’s Drive It Day to promote use of classic and interesting cars, Vauxhall is opening its Heritage Centre containing about 70 historic cars from all eras. There is free entry between 10am and 4pm, during which any classic car owners can partake of light refreshments and the opportunity to see one of the largest manufacturer’s heritage collections in the UK. Vauxhall’s Heritage Centre can be found on Park Street, Luton LU1 3HG, behind the main Griffin House headquarters on Osborne Road, where there is ample parking. The annual Drive It Day, which is organized by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, encourages owners and enthusiasts to take their own classic out on the road to celebrate motoring heritage at its finest. It was launched to celebrate the Thousand Mile Trial in 1900 in which 64 cars set […]

Having opened a new facility in Goldhawk Road, West London this week, Nicholas Mee & Co says it is the first ever high-street, officially endorsed, Aston Martin Heritage showroom. The company was established 21 years ago and held a party to celebrate the opening, with guests including Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez and Director of Works Service and Parts Operations, Kingsley Riding-Felce. Riding-Felce said: “Aston Martin takes its heritage very seriously, and it is crucial that current and prospective owners of our Heritage models are able to receive the kind of levels of service and specialist knowledge that is expected of the Aston Martin brand. “Up until now our heritage network has not had such prominence in London and it is wonderful to see Nicholas and his team investing so heavily in the future of Aston Martin’s Heritage business.” […]

Exciting new material about the filming of ‘The Persuaders’ TV series has been uncovered in the Archives of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust (based at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, near Warwick) during a major re-cataloguing project. ‘The Persuaders’ celebrates its 40th Anniversary having debuted on British TV in September 1971. The stars of the show were Sir Roger Moore and the late Tony Curtis, who drove an Aston Martin DBS and a Ferrari Dino 246 GT respectively. Sir Roger Moore was re-united with the actual Aston Martin DBS used at a recent event, to commemorate the anniversary and the release of the series on Blu-ray DVD. Photographs, film production records and correspondence relating to this classic Seventies TV series have come to light in the personal collection of the late Roger Stowers. Roger Stowers worked at Aston […]