Marques

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 […]

McLaren GT Factory Driver Alvaro Parente scored a double top-10 finish at the wheel of the K-PAX Racing 650S GT3 this weekend in the Pirelli World Challenge double-header at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The results keep the Portuguese driver in the battle for the championship as the season now heads to Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. In Europe, fellow Factory Driver Côme Ledogar secured pole position and a podium on his championship debut as the 650S GT3 enjoyed more success at the second round of the 2016 International GT Open at Spa Francorchamps with customer team Garage 59. Parente rejoined customer team K-PAX Racing as he continued his title challenge in the 8th and 9th races of the 2016 Pirelli World Challenge season. At the historic 3.9-km Ontario-based circuit – which is notoriously difficult to overtake on – Parente qualified […]

When the publisher (not good guy in charge, Shawn Frank) of Spitfire & GT6 stopped publishing, they took the latest issue of the magazine with them. Issue number 49 had been composed, laid out, and sent off to be printed. But then nothing. So as far as editor Shawn knew, it was lost and gone forever. But now this update in from Shawn — the lost issue is found! Or basically returned to its rightful place. And Shawn has made it available to all readers and potential readers for free on the web. (Told you he was a good guy.) To download Issue #49 of Spitfire & GT6 for free, follow this link … http://jmp.sh/v/QTLiwjEr5clBMoKTIIVY Be prepared, this a PDF file so you will need Acrobat Reader or some other such program to read it. Additional, since this was the printer’s copy […]

Aston Martin and Italian design-house Zagato are proud to announce the Vanquish Zagato Concept, the latest creation from their long-standing partnership. The Vanquish Zagato Concept will make its global debut at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, held at Lake Como in Italy from 21 – 22 May 2016. The Vanquish Zagato Concept is the fifth car to emerge from a collaboration that stretches back over five decades, pairing Aston Martin’s acclaimed sporting, dynamic and material qualities with Zagato’s signature design language.

The first Aero 8 vehicles have been delivered to the Morgan UK Dealer network as part of a handover day at the factory in Malvern. 11 of the 13 UK Dealer Aero 8 demonstrators have been handed over in style as part of a special handover day at the Morgan factory on Wednesday (18/05/2016). Launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2015, the new model is the fifth generation Aero 8, with Dealer demonstrators being the first production vehicles to be built.

According to the iconic TV advert, Minis have feelings too… But then that’s hardly surprising, as the Mini, be it modern or classic, has one of the biggest personalities on the road. And to find out just how much character owners apply to their four-wheeled friends, the organisers of the UK’s biggest and best Mini shows are carrying out the world’s first Mini Census ahead of Mini World Live, which takes place on Sunday, July 10 at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Northants.   The census aims to find out the gender split between Minis – whether they’re male or female, where they live, the average age of their owners and, most importantly, what the top 10 names for Britain’s Minis are. So whether yours is Mickey or Minnie, old or new, Mini World Live is calling for you to help build up a […]

ZENITH: The pinnacle, the best of its kind. The highest standard achievable by which everything is judged. “As we begin to write a bold new chapter in Rolls-Royce history, I am delighted to present a Bespoke Collection that so elegantly celebrates two of the world’s rarest and most celebrated luxury goods; Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé. Phantom Zenith Collection motor cars speak of the marque’s unrelenting commitment to setting and advancing the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged.” Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. From its foundation 112 years ago, the story of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has been defined by a restless commitment to setting and raising the standard by which all other luxury goods are judged. On January 1 2003, this philosophy was realised emphatically with the handover of the first seventh generation […]

JD Classics’ legendary ex-Fangio C-Type took victory at the Monaco Historique over the weekend, cementing its place as one of the most consistently successful historic racing cars in current competition. This latest win marks its 24th award in 27 races. JD Classics’ in-house racing driver, Chris Ward, took the wheel for qualifying in what was his very first time racing at Monaco. Ward put in an incredible lap that put him in pole position around two seconds ahead of the nearest competitor.

Morgan is introducing the Michele Butler Collection of collectible household items for the Morgan enthusiast. A selection of beautifully hand drawn images of classic Morgan cars, from a Flat-Rad, to a Plus-8 or a 3-Wheeler. These classic drawings are captured in stylish mugs, coaster and collectible magnets for all Morgan enthusiasts. To check out the full collection and order online, please check out the Morgan Motors online shop. Note: Press release courtesy of Morgan Motors.

A 1972 Lotus Elan Plus 2S first supplied to Formula 1 driver, the late Ronnie Peterson, is one of the undisputed – and very affordable – stars at Historics at Brooklands summer sale in Surrey on Saturday 11th June. With a tempting estimate of  £18,000 – £22,000, this very original Elan Plus 2S 130/5 is sure to attract considerable interest as, besides its proven provenance, it’s also the very first chassis to leave the Hethel production line fitted with the five-speed gearbox. Ronnie Peterson – dubbed ‘Super Swede’ by his legion of fans – was given the car by Lotus boss Colin Chapman in November 1972. Doubtless, it was a great welcome present to Lotus after Peterson left the March F1 team to sign for the 1973 season alongside Emerson Fittipaldi at the wheel of the John Player Team Lotus […]

This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 23-26) will host the global debut of the first design model of the current generation of MINIs, MINI Seven. Taking its name from the very first Mini, the 1959 Austin Seven, MINI Seven has been designed to fuse the brand’s classic heritage with modern design and technology. MINI Seven joins the current MINI Hatch range in 5-door or 3-door form and features specially designed exterior and interior looks unseen before on this generation’s model line-up.

The #58 650S GT3 of customer team Garage 59 finished P6 in the second round of the Blancpain Endurance Cup at Silverstone to maintain Factory Driver Rob Bell’s Blancpain GT Series title hopes with six rounds remaining. There was further success for the 650S GT3 in Italy as customer team FFF Racing Team by ACM finished P2 in the inaugural round of the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup at Imola. Bell and fellow Factory Drivers Côme Ledogar and Shane Van Gisbergen started the three-hour race at Silverstone P12 after an extremely tight Qualifying session earlier in the day, before fighting through the field during the race to set up a close battle to the finish. Bell started in the #58 Garage 59 McLaren 650S GT3 and in a similar fashion to his performance at Monza made up a lot of […]

This just in by way of an email from Isis Motors, and I shall quote … While details remain to be finalized, the latest word from the Morgan Motor Company is that they anticipate opening the order books for NEW Morgan cars for the USA, possibly as soon as this summer. It is possible that production may begin on USA spec cars before the end of the year. The most likely model – as yet unconfirmed – would be the Morgan V6 Roadster. This will be a most welcome development as I, and I know many others, eagerly anticipate the return of the sale of full 4-wheeled Morgans to the US.   Isis Motors is so sure of all this that they are now accepting deposits. They say that “deposits are refundable up until 8 weeks prior to the build […]

A significant anniversary requires a significant car and, Lotus is marking 50 years since the founding of its famous factory with a limited Hethel Edition of its benchmark Evora 400. Available in three exclusive colours, with matching trim options and a special commemorative build plate, the Hethel Edition Evora 400 combines high performance with Lotus’ legendary chassis development. Winning the praise of customers and the motoring press since its launch, the Evora 400 weighs in at just 1,395 kg and epitomises Lotus’ approach to efficient engineering. The Hethel Edition Evora 400 is the first in a series of special products and events marking this important milestone in the company’s history, when, in 1966, founder Colin Chapman moved Lotus to the purpose-built facility in Hethel, Norfolk.

The expected star of the show at the forthcoming Bonham’s Aston Martin auction is a 1953 Aston Martin DB3S, raced by Sir Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks, Peter Collins, Roy Salvadori and Reg Parnell. With an estimate of £6-7 million, the ex-works race car is expected to attract the attention of classic car collectors across the globe. “Few cars that have appeared in film can also boast an association with so many great names from the heyday of British sports car racing, but this Aston Martin DB3S does just that,” said Tim Schofield, Bonhams UK Head Motoring. “Drivers who raced it include such legends as Peter Collins, Roy Salvadori, and Sir Stirling Moss, competing at world-class level in such gruelling races as the Mille Miglia, the Spa Grand Prix and the Nürburgring 1,000kms.”

I thought that for this go around of our Video of the Week (VotW) we would go for something that is almost unheard of these days – at least unheard of beyond the shores of the UK herself. So, let’s take a look back at the Jowett Javelin and the Humber Super Snipe. While both of these marques and models would get you a bewildered look at the local DMV, and perhaps a talk about it being a serious place of business and not a source of pranks for your amusement, they were actually well known and fairly popular cars in their day. To quote Wikipedia on the Javelin, “The Jowett Javelin is an executive car that was produced from 1947 to 1953 by Jowett Cars Ltd of Idle, near Bradford in England. The model went through five variants labeled […]

MINI USA is proud to introduce the new MINI Seven, the first special edition of the latest MINI generation which presents a striking combination of the brand’s traditional values and the progressive product quality of the current models. Exclusive design features on the exterior and interior underscore the British origins, hallmark driving fun, premium character and extrovert appeal that make the new MINI Seven a more exceptional phenomenon in urban traffic than ever before.   The 2017 MINI Seven special edition will be available in both Cooper and Cooper S variants of the MINI Hardtop 2 Door and 4 Door models in late summer. Pricing will be announced closer to the vehicle’s arrival in market.

Stratstone has been revealed as the owner of one of the famous 2015 Jaguar Lightweight E-types. Chassis number 15 is one of the infamous ‘Missing Six’ and didn’t have to travel far from the iconic Jaguar Browns Lane production facility in Coventry as it made its way to its new base at Stratstone Jaguar London in Mayfair. The fascinating story of the Lightweight E-type dates back to February 1963 and the intended 18-car ‘Special GT E-type’ race car project from that time. Only 12 of the 18 were built and delivered by the Browns Lane competitions department between 1963 and 1964, which gave rise to the infamous ‘Missing Six’. These missing chassis numbers – 13 to 18 – were found in 2014, and so the modern-day production by Jaguar Land Rover’s new Special Vehicle Operations division’s Jaguar Classic, got underway.