Marques

Welcome to our new post category – “Road Ink“. The first of this new category is a short video on the innards of a Triumph Spitfire door mechanism. These mechanics are notorious for going out of alignment and even breaking. When this happens, you can no long open the car’s door from the outside. Quite frustrating, trust me! What is even more frustrating is that the fairly simple repair parts are not available for purchase. You either get to fork out over $200 for a complete unit, or attempt for use used or alternative parts. This latter choice is what those of us not made of money would prefer to do, but since this unit was always viewed as a single item by Triumph and BL, documentation is scarce. Hence this video. I just want to take a few moments […]

McLaren Automotive will return to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer celebrating race wins and titles spanning more than five decades. McLaren will honour the drivers and championships where the team has claimed the top step of the podium, in the ultimate expression of ‘Full Throttle – The Endless Pursuit of Power’. McLaren House will once again return to the lawns of the Goodwood Estate, with iconic racers displayed alongside the full range of modern-day McLaren models in the Sports Series, Super Series and Ultimate Series. The broad selection of models, spanning more than 50 years of the McLaren name, will be the most extensive display of McLaren models ever showcased, including the new 570GT. As in previous years, McLaren will also be present in the Supercar Paddock with models from each of the three tier range. The recently announced […]

This piece was sent to us by our friend Christopher Silvestri who runs Christopher John, LTD down in Florida. They are the U.S.’s newest Morgan dealer, and like us, have high hopes for the reintroduction of new 4-wheeled Morgan cars to our shores.  With the Passing of  the new replica law, the Morgan V6 Roadster’s return to the U.S. is on the not too distant horizon! And this Daytona area Morgan dealer is ready. While it has been hard for the Morgan Car Company to bring four wheel cars into the U.S. due to stringent emissions and safety laws in recent years, a new law passed in December of 2015 is allowing Morgan dealers to begin gearing up for  new four-wheeled Morgan cars later this year. The classic Morgan range fits into the “replica” area of the law with brand new […]

Our “Video of the Week” this time is from Petrolicious and is of a 1957 Aston Martin Mk III that the owner bills as “perfectly awful.”  And no, that is not an insult, it is a term of endearment. This is not one of those over-restored, pampered, show-only cars. This is an honest to god, survivor, original. And it is simply wonderful. “Some day, down in the future, whoever ends up with this car when it leaves my garage—they may choose to restore it,” says Dave Adams. “…but I hope if and when that happens, they do it with the correct lens so it’s not over-restored.” This 1957 Aston Martin Mk III is actually the prototype for the Mk III range, and was not only used for official testing and design duties, but had also been entered into the Monte […]

The all-new Jaguar F-PACE helped propel Jaguar Land Rover to its best ever May, with retail sales of 44,946 vehicles, up 18% on May 2015. This is the company’s fifth consecutive record-breaking month. Jaguar Land Rover sold 245,100 vehicles in the first five months of 2016, 23% up on the same period in the prior year. The Jaguar F-PACE, which is designed, engineered, and manufactured in the UK, has seen impressive results this month, with more than 3,000 vehicles sold worldwide. The new family sports car is the company’s fastest selling Jaguar ever. Retail sales for the month of May were up year-on-year across all regions: 28% in China, 24% in Europe, 23% in the UK and 8% in North America.  Other Overseas markets were up 6% year-on-year.

McLaren Special Operations, the bespoke division of McLaren Automotive, has announced the creation of the MSO Carbon Series LT. Strictly limited to 25 units globally – all already sold – and based on the 675LT Spider, the Carbon Series LT has been produced in response to requests from McLaren customers captivated by the visual carbon fibre bodied McLaren P1™displayed recently at the International Geneva Motor Show. Staying true to the ‘Longtail’ ethos, established by the McLaren F1 in the late 1990s, the MSO Carbon Series LT has been developed with a focus on light weight and optimised aerodynamic performance. Applying gloss carbon fibre to the entire body of the car further extends its appeal to bring a brutal beauty to the existing 675LT Spider body, showcasing the skills of the McLaren bespoke division.

Over half of the world’s Minis are boys, with the most popular name being Marvin, according to the world’s first ever Mini Census. The survey, carried out by the organisers of Mini World Live, which takes place at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Northants, on July 10, 2016, received responses from Mini owners all over the globe, including places as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Malta and the USA. The results show that in total, 51% of the world’s Mini population is male, 35% are female and 14% are neither – although anyone who’s ever owned a Mini knows it’s more than just a car.

Two early Jaguar E-type barn finds, both ideal candidates for restoration projects, will be auctioned by Classic Car Auctions (CCA) at the June Sale on Saturday 18th June at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, Leamington Spa. The first of the pair is a 1963 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Series I Fixedhead Coupe. Clearly a well-loved car, the first owner kept it for 30 years before it was passed on to its second owner in 1993. Driven for only two years, the car was then tucked away in a barn and has recently been discovered an amazing 20 years later. This early E-Type is an original, highly desirable, UK right-hand drive manual now in need of some TLC.  Beneath the dust, this blue E-type presents in partially dismantled condition with the bumpers, headlamp covers, engine air filter and interior carpets removed. The bodywork […]

The super-fun MG3 has taken on a new role; it is now the ‘Mollymobile’, transporter of Dr Molly and Stripes to tend to children’s broken toys! Today, E-Bop.tv, a new children’s digital channel, has launched. MG Motor is pleased to announce a collaboration with E-Bop.tv and be part of their Dr Molly series. Dr Molly specialises in fixing broken toys so, when a call comes through to Dr Molly HQ from a child in need, she calls upon her ‘Mollymobile’ MG3 to get her there as quickly as possible. Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing for MG, said: “We are really pleased to be working with E-Bop.tv and to be involved in one of their new programmes. It’s fantastic to know that Dr Molly will be heading out to visit her patients in an MG3 as it reflects the […]

This year’s Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, billed as the world’s toughest endurance rally for classic and vintage cars, will feature a Mini for the first time in the event’s history. Concerned for the Packard, Paul contacted Owen Turner from the Rover Centre whom he had met on last year’s Sahara Challenge, for some advice and seeing just how much work still needed to be done on the old American car, advised against taking it on the grueling 36-day 8,500mile event that journeys through some extremely difficult terrain. Needing a car in a hurry to meet the shipping deadline, the best option was to buy the Mini Owen had prepared for himself for the 2015 Marrakesh event as well as Le Jog. Owen explains: “The Packard needed a lot of work still doing and would not have coped with the […]

Bentley Motorsport has out-performed its second-year target for the Nürburgring 24 Hours by finishing well inside the top-ten with a seventh place result by the #38 Continental GT3 of European partner team Bentley Team Abt. The yellow #38 Deutsche Post-liveried Continental GT3 was the highest finishing British entry in the gruelling 24-hour endurance race, and beat all but two manufacturers, including many German marques that consider the 25 km track their home. Drivers Guy Smith (GB), Fabien Hamprecht (DE), Christian Menzel (DE) and Chris Brück (DE) completed 131 laps of the Nürburgring Nordschleife to cross the line ahead of more than 150 cars. “Success at the Nürburgring 24 hours requires at least a three-year plan and we’re pleased that at the end of year two we’re ahead of our target,”commented Bentely’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush. “We set out to […]

Available again in print after a long absence, Veloce Publishing is re-releasing a number of go-to titles for the classic British car enthusiast. These titles include How to Paint Classic Cars, Classic British Car Electrical Systems, and Triumph TR2, 3, 3A, 4 & 4A – Enthusiast’s Restoration Manual. Veloce specialises in fine automotive books of all types, ranging from practical do-it-yourself guides to leatherbound limited editions. Their philosophy is that “every one of our books will be of the highest quality in terms of content and presentation, as well as being of true value to the purchaser.” How to Paint Classic Cars Available again after a long absence! Taking you step-by-step through each stage of the painting process, from planning, preparation, and safety, to final painting and finishing, this book will give you the skills and the confidence you need for […]

A 1992 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE ‘High Wing’, one of just two original factory press cars, will be auctioned at Classic Car Auctions’ (CCA) June Sale on Saturday 18th June, at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, Leamington Spa. In the year that Lotus celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Esprit, this car is the perfect opportunity to acquire an important example of the iconic model. This rare ‘High Wing’ variant, which appeared on the front covers of motoring magazines in the early 1990s and at various motor shows at the time of the model’s launch, will be offered for sale with an estimate of between £22,000 and £26,000.

I have mentioned this book a few times before, but I owe it to you to give a more informative review. Jaguar Design: A Story of Style, is as stunning book both in presentation and in content.  As billed by publisher Porter Press, this is, essentially, the story of three men — Jaguar company founder and owner Sir William Lyons, aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer and current Design Director Ian Callum — and how they shaped the cars that made Jaguar famous. The line that really struck me, and it actually occurs in Ian Callum’s introduction, is in answer to the question, “Should not form follow function?” To this Callum replied, “Yes, of course, but one of the functions of a Jaguar is to be beautiful.” In a nutshell, that hits at the core of what makes a Jaguar a Jaguar, and what […]

Bentley Motorsport will return to the Nürburgring Nordschleife this weekend in a bid to conquer ‘the green hell’ with its Continental GT3, as the proving ground for road and race cars alike once again plays host to the world’s toughest endurance race, Nürburgring 24 Hours. The two-car campaign will be run by Bentley’s Crewe-based works outfit – including senior personnel John Wickham, David Argent and Christian Loriaux – in conjunction with its new European partner team, Bentley Team ABT Sportsline.

Our Video of the Week (VotW) this time go round comes from Steve Wincze of the Connecticut MG Club and the upcoming British by the Sea car show. You may also remember Steve as the winner of last month’s puzzle contest. The video in question is of the Skyline Soiree from 1993. This event was put on by the New England MG T Register. The Skyline Soiree was A scenic road trip through the mountains of the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway in mostly open 2-seater MGs. What we have here is 12 minutes of highlights from a 60 minute DVD. One of four great MG Road Trips sponsored by the New England MG-T Register. On this drive, and in this video, you get to experience the mountain vistas and natural beauty of two national parks and 574 miles […]

Aston Martin and its official motorsport division Aston Martin Racing are set to contest the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24-hours this weekend (28-29 May). Aston Martin Racing will travel to Germany’s Eifel region with a pair of V12 Vantage GT3s, with their sights set firmly on the outright win which has so far eluded them despite strong performances in the past three years. With a circuit length of 16.123 miles, 170 turns, unpredictable weather and strong competition from a field of nearly 200 starters, only a perfect run will secure victory. Having competed at the Nordschleife earlier this year, achieving 4th and 8th place in the circuit’s VLN 2 race at the end of April, the team is confident of the potential of this year’s V12 Vantage GT3.

The duo of Julian Thomas and Calum Lockie took their second consecutive race victory in the Jaguar Classic Challenge by a mere two-tenths of a second in the International Trophy at Silverstone over the weekend. After the morning’s qualifying session, Thomas and Lockie were in a strong position ahead of the afternoon race and put their low drag Jaguar E-type on pole – their second of the 2016 campaign. Just like the last round at Donington, adverse weather added an extra dose of complexity to the race. From the green light, Lockie surged ahead closely followed by Robert Dickinson, Martin Stretton and John Pearson. The lead changed hands on several occasions throughout the first stint before the compulsory one-minute driver change/pit stop. Once Lockie swapped with Thomas after 20 minutes, the duo has maintained their lead out front and were […]