Marques

From time to time Aston Martin, using their Lagonda brand, launched a four-door saloons. In 1961 they brought back the Lagonda name again with the Rapide saloon which was based on the then current Aston Martin DB4 but was the first car to use the new dual overhead cam 4-liter inline six which produced 236 bhp, at 5500 RPM and 288-foot-pounds of torque at a relatively high 3850 RPM. With this power unit, the car was reported to achieve 0-60 in 9.0 seconds, quite fast for the era, and a top speed of a very impressive 130 MPH. This was, however, the last Lagonda to use a six-cylinder engine although this engine was standard fitment in the DB5.

Well, it looks like the MG E-Motion concept we talked about last week is one step to making it into production as a rival to the Tesla Model S. Following the reveal of the concept car at the Shanghai Motor show, MG UK’s sales and marketing boss Matthew Cheyne confirmed that he expects the E-Motion to make production around 2020 and be priced from under £30,000. With a purported 250+ mile range on a charge and a zero to sixty time in the 4-second range, the E-Motion could be a very attractive package. Of course, this will probably be another MG model that will never reach US shores. Although, at least there would be little to know emissions regulations holding things back since this vehicle will be electric. Sadly, with SAIC looking to pull all manufacturing out of Britain, this […]

The McLaren 570S GT4 has scored its first win of the season in the opening round of the 2017 British GT Championship at Oulton Park, UK. Customer team track-club, with drivers Adam Balon and Adam MacKay, took overall GT4 victory during the first of two races over the Bank Holiday weekend, as all six examples of the latest GT racing model from McLaren showed pace and reliability. From the outset of the weekend’s racing activities, the pace of the 570S GT4 looked strong. Building on the year of experience at the wheel of the track-honed McLaren Sports Series model, GT Driver Academy pairing of Ciaran Haggerty and Sandy Mitchell in the #100 Black Bull Garage 59 car secured pole position for the first race and would line up in P2 for the start of the second.

Our Video of the Week this go-round features a car that is the favorite of James Bond and man other people. What we are talking here is, of course, the Aston Martin. This video is from the recent Simply Aston Martin gathering and show and is courtesy of the folks at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum. Every generation of DB model was on at the show, helping to make this one of the biggest gatherings of Aston Martins in the south of England.

Jaguar Land Rover’s £1bn Engine Manufacturing Centre (EMC) today celebrated production of its first Ingenium petrol engine, which will debut in vehicles later in the summer. The inaugural petrol engines mark the completion of the first phase of the EMC; a fully flexible, state-of-the-art manufacturing plant that now serves Jaguar Land Rover’s three UK vehicle plants. Hailed as the most significant new automotive manufacturing facility in the UK in the last decade. Production of the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol Ingenium engine, adds to its line-up, which also includes the ultra-low emission 2.0-litre 150PS, 163PS and 240PS four-cylinder diesel engines. 

McLaren Automotive, the creator of luxury sports and super cars from Surrey, England, has appointed Dr. Jens Ludmann as Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective from May 2, 2017. He will report to Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mike Flewitt. Dr. Ludmann joins McLaren in the second year of its Track22 business plan to focus on further developing internal working processes, relationships, and disciplines. His departmental responsibilities will include Product Development, Purchasing, Supplier Quality Assurance and Manufacturing, overseeing the launch of a further 14 new models or derivatives during the next five years. Previous roles include Chief Engineer Product Development at Ford Motor Company, Chief Technical Officer at Qoros Auto, and most recently Executive Vice President of the global engineering service provider FEV GmbH. 

Gerry Coker was a designer for the Donald Healey Motor Company, he was responsible for the design of the Austin-Healey 100 and Sprite, later joining Chrysler and the Ford Motor Company, where he invented the 3-postion tailgate. Gerry will be inducted into the Britsh Sports Car Hall of Fame on June 2, 2017.

MG, which is now owned by SAIC, has launched the new MG 360 in the Middle East. The brand chose to first launch the model in the Middle East as it is a key market. The model is notable for its striking design, intelligent features and the space and flexibility of the seating options in the interior. The MG 360 exemplifies MG’s ambitious and exciting new approach, offering motorists here the option of driving a stylish, well-equipped, modern sedan which is available at a highly competitive price.

According to the Autocar website, the MG E-Motion supercar concept looks set to take the company back to its sports car roots, albeit with an electric powertrain, upon its debut at the Shanghai motor show. Despite new images having been released of the full design of the dramatically styled coupé, no further information has been given away. The images do show upward-opening doors, which reveal four seats inside when opened.

The Jaguar F-PACE is officially the best and most beautiful car in the world after double success at the 2017 World Car Awards, scooping the prestigious World Car of Year and World Car Design of the Year titles. The performance SUV is the fastest selling model Jaguar has produced and is only the second vehicle to claim the historic double in the 13-year history of the World Car Awards. To win the pair of trophies, the F-PACE saw off the competition in a vote of 75 influential motoring journalists from 24 countries.

The new Range Rover Velar made a spectacular US debut with an exclusive live online performance from Ellie Goulding. The chart-topping singer’s New York show precedes a charity auction of the hotly anticipated new mid-size SUV at the East Side House Settlement Annual Gala later this week. Goulding brought a touch of British glamour to the Velar’s US launch party when she arrived in Manhattan – the Metropolitan home of Range Rover – to be the first person to drive the new Velar and to sing for a global online audience. Her performance of ‘Love Me Like You Do’ opened the reveal event and was shown live on her Facebook page.

According to Auto Express, after a lengthy absence and years of rumours, it appears MG will finally be returning to the sportscar market. Hazy teaser images of what looks to be a new concept car have appeared online, with reports suggesting the car could be called the MG E-Motion. As the name suggests it will be a pure electric sportscar, which could potentially preview a spiritual successor to the MG TF – axed from production in 2011.

Participants in the Round Britain Coastal Drive (RBCD) will raise crucial awareness of prostate cancer, which kills more than 10,000 men in Britain every year. London-based XK Club member Patrick Hanratty, who will take part in all 18 stages of the RBCD in his British Racing Green XK 150 Drop Head Coupé, understands the importance of this more than most. Having recently come through bowel cancer, he is now being treated for prostate cancer and will speak of his experiences after some group dinners during RBCD. Few men even know where their prostate gland is, so encouraging them to learn and check will save lives. Long-time XK Club friend and supporter, the great Murray Walker OBE, will be flagging the cars away from the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. Murray is an absolute legend in the world of motorsport, his fame […]

Jaguar is broadening the appeal of the new F-TYPE with the introduction of the state-of-the-art four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine. The award-winning F-TYPE family now spans from the entry-level four-cylinder model to Jaguar’s 200mph all-weather supercar – the F-TYPE SVR. The pairing of Jaguar’s all-aluminium two-seat sports car with the advanced 300PS 2.0-litre turbocharged powerplant delivers Jaguar sports car DNA with enhanced agility and improved efficiency and affordability. This is a true F-TYPE, with its own unique character.

The Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, is the subject of the second chapter in a series of short films. Not only that, it is out Video of the Week! In the film, the world is introduced to Rolls-Royce’s global center of luxury excellence, a place where artisans practice the art of true luxury. The first film was titled Spirit of Ecstacy. Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet once again becomes the voice of the Spirit of Ecstasy, leading us on a journey to a place where colourists and sculptors, designers and engineers collaborate under one roof, with a single objective… to deliver perfection.

Kahn Design have been commissioned to design an exciting one-off bespoke version of the Land Rover Defender at The London Motor Show 2017 on 4-7 May. The exclusive car will be designed and built in-house by Kahn and will be on display in Battersea Park throughout the weekend. Kahn Design aims to pay the ultimate tribute to a truly iconic vehicle.

McLaren Automotive is today celebrating the beginning of full production of the new 720S supercar, with the completion of the ‘Job#1’ car. Finished in Glacier White, the car is ready to leave the McLaren Production Centre in Woking, Surrey, England, having been hand-assembled by McLaren’s craftsmen and craftswomen. The move to full production marks the beginning of a new chapter in the McLaren Automotive story, as the second generation of the Super Series – codenamed ‘P14’ – replaces the first generation, ‘P11’ model family that encompassed the original McLaren 12C and subsequent derivatives, as well as the McLaren 650S and 675LT. 

Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd are proud to announce an enduring partnership with the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, the RAF’s leading welfare charity. The strong links between the company and the Royal Air Force are clear, with Aston Martin’s two manufacturing facilities both having previously been RAF airfields. The RAF Benevolent Fund has been the Royal Air Forces’ leading welfare charity for almost 100 years, providing financial and practical assistance to anyone who is serving or has served in the RAF including their partners and dependents. They provide assistance with a range of issues from childcare and relationship difficulties to injury and disability, and from financial hardship and debt to illness and bereavement. In 2016 the charity spent over £20 million supporting over 60,000 members of the RAF family. Andy Palmer, President and CEO of Aston Martin, said: “We are extremely […]