Marques

British Auto Legends: Classics of Style and Design is purely and simply a gorgeous book. Sure, it is a coffee table book, but my god, it is such a beautiful coffee table book! This single work gives our lowly coffee table a reason to exist. This superbly illustrated book brings together more than fifty of the most significant British cars designed between the early twentieth century and the present. At well over 270 pages, there are over 50 of Britains most beautiful and significant cars covered. From the 1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost all the way up to Jaguars’s 1998 XK180, there are a good number of high-end cars featured that are not only beyond normal grasp but may never be seen in person. There are, however, a good number of more mainstream beauties displayed. These include cars regularly seen at shows and even […]

Aston Martin enthusiasts are in for a treat this Thursday, when West London official Heritage Specialists Nicholas Mee & Co. reveal their line-up of cars at the London Classic Car Show, the innovative ‘must-do’ event held at ExCel, London, from 18 to 21 February. Once again placed in its prominent, ‘pole’ position close to the main entrance, the company’s impressive stand will showcase a selection of carefully chosen Aston Martins, the Spectacular Seven. The Spectacular Seven include …

Bentley Motors is today announcing the introduction of a new model to its range – the Flying Spur V8 S. Taking its place between the Flying Spur V8 and family flagship W12, the V8 S is tuned for power and performance, with increased engine output and revised suspension offering a more focused, precise driving experience. The Flying Spur V8 S features a number of sporting styling cues which hint at its new and improved sporting capabilities. A black radiator grille and rear diffuser along with a unique grille insert give the new model a dramatic and purposeful appearance to match its enhanced performance. Wolfgang Dürheimer, chairman and chief executive of Bentley Motors, said: “The Flying Spur remains unrivalled in its ability to combine class-leading comfort with remarkable dynamic ability. It’s the perfect choice for the customer who wants ultimate refinement […]

Our Video of the Week this week is not just a single video but an entire channel. The MG Cars Channel was created by of David Shelburne of Shelburn Films. In David’s words, “there are lots of individual MG videos out there, on YouTube and others. But it’s not easy to find the specific videos you are interested in. What I am trying to do is create one place where people can go and find a large variety of MG videos to choose from.” This is the place to find videos about all things MG.  You can become familiar with the history of MG by learning about the various models produced through the years; start with “The First MG,” to learn that it was not the car we call “Old Number One.”  Follow the link at the end of each video to find […]

Proving that less is more, Lotus’ high performance Cup version of the famous Elise has shed 21 kg and gained 26 hp. Weighing in at 931 kg, and capable of 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, the Elise Cup 250 is the fastest road-going Lotus Elise ever. Replacing the acclaimed Elise Cup 220, the new Elise Cup 250 perfectly demonstrates the Lotus ‘light is right’ mantra as all vehicle components were optimised to add lightness and speed. Delivered to the marque’s now famous ‘Lightweight Laboratory’, it emerged with a range of features, including a Lithium-ion battery which slashes 10 kg off the weight, carbon fibre seats, reducing the weight by 6 kg, and ultra-lightweight forged alloy wheels, saving a further 1.5 kg. Designed to suit all sports car fans, the Lotus Elise Cup 250 is available for the first time as […]

Eagle has focused for over thirty years to refine, develop and deliver exceptional engineering for the Jaguar E-Type while remaining true to the spirit of this extraordinary car. The Eagle E-Type has often been described as ‘the finest hand-built car in the world’ and the reaction of the world’s press to the successive ‘special edition’ Jaguar E-Types developed in-house at Eagle has been rapturous.

The first owners of the Aston Martin Vulcan travelled to Abu Dhabi last week to receive world-class tuition from an elite team of racing drivers, led by Aston Martin Racing works’ driver Darren Turner. The Aston Martin Vulcan is the product of the luxury British carmaker’s extensive motorsport experience. There is no question that the track-only supercar demonstrates Aston Martin’s flair for design and now a select group of owners have had the opportunity to use the Aston Martin Vulcan for its intended purpose – as an exhilarating 820 bhp supercar, engineered exclusively for extreme performance on-track.

A Northern Ireland car dealer with over 100 year’s history is the latest to join the MG Motor UK franchise. T.M. Martin & Son is a well-known dealership in Killyleagh, County Down with years of history. Back in 1907, the family-run business was first established as a cycle manufacturer. Since then, the business has been loyal to selling Longbridge-built vehicles; so it seemed fitting for the family to bring in the latest range of MGs. John Martin, Dealer Principal of T.M. Martin & Son, said: “We’ve had an association with cars built in Longbridge for many years, so to keep the tradition going we wanted to get MG into our showroom again after all this time. “I’ve been working for the family business since 1961; which at the time made up three generations in the business. We have always prided […]

Leading members of the Bentley design team were at the German Design Awards in Frankfurt to collect Gold in the Transportation category for Bentley’s EXP 10 Speed 6 concept car. The German Design Council selects a panel of international design experts to judge the entries, and the awards are among the most prestigious in their field. They selected the EXP 10 Speed 6 for the Gold award as a result of its timeless, iconic Bentley design, clever use of new materials and aesthetic dynamism. Bentley’s Director of Design, Stefan Sielaff, was joined by SangYup Lee (Head of Exterior Design), Romulus Rost (Head of Interior Design and Colour and Trim) and Head of Modelling and Design Operations, Kevin Baker, at the award ceremony in Frankfurt. Panel judge, Johannes Barckmann, commented: “The designers of the EXP 10 Speed 6 achieved a fantastic […]

Barons is adding three specialist auctions to its 2016 calendar, including a Rolls-Royce, Bentley and prestige classic car and memorabilia sale at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club rally at the magnificent Burghley House, Stamford, Lincolnshire. Entries are now invited for the sale, which takes place on June 25th at the RREC’s biggest gathering of the year. The three-day international Annual Rally and Concours d’Elegance attracts thousands of cherished Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, and their enthusiastic owners, from all over the world. “We were delighted to be invited by the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club to hold a classic car auction at their very special event,” said Barons’ director Peter Gascoigne. “Barons has a strong history with Rolls-Royce and Bentley at auction; for example, in 2015 we achieved £739,000, nearly double top estimate, for a 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback ‘barn find’ restoration project. Whilst […]

Following the end of another incredible season of wheel-to-wheel racing in classic Listers, Lawrence Whittaker – CEO of Lister Motor Company – has presented the Brian Lister Cup to Tony Wood, Will Nuthall and their team for a sensational racing comeback in 2015 in the Woods’ family Lister-Jaguar Knobbly. Presented at a star-studded dinner hosted by the Royal Automobile Club, the Brian Lister Cup went to Wood following a herculean effort that saw his priceless Lister-Jaguar Knobbly repaired in less than 40 days following an accident before the season began. Wood and his team then went on to grab three podium finishes and fifth place overall at the end of the season.

The position of Bentley Motors as an employer of choice has been underlined after the company was recognised as a Top Employer for the fifth consecutive year. Bentley was awarded Top Employer for its commitment and dedication to the personal development of its 4,000 colleagues working at the Crewe headquarters. Employee conditions, leadership development programmes and recruitment processes were praised as some of the best in the UK.

A 1953 Austin Healey that raced in the New Zealand Grand Prix will make its show debut at Race Retro on 26thto 28th February, the first time it has been on public display anywhere in the world. The Healey 100/4 BN1, chassis no 145426, will be on display at Stoneleigh Park as one of three works cars that were sent to take part in the inaugural New Zealand Grand Prix on 9th January 1954.

The E-Type that turned heads at the 1961 Scottish Motor Show has been brought back to its former glory by world-leading restorers Classic Motor Cars (CMC) and will feature centre stage at CMC’s stand (C40) at the London Classic Car Show on February 18-21. Chassis No. 15 was the fifteenth right-hand drive fixed head coupe E-Type to leave Jaguar’s production line in 1961 and was used as a press car at the Scottish Motor Show held at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, in November that year. The car then moved on to private ownership and went missing for decades until CMC discovered it in a barn in Cernay, France, in late 2013. Exactly 2,956hrs were spent restoring every nut and bolt of this E-Type at CMC’s modern workshops in Bridgnorth, saving as much of the original car as possible and bringing […]

Style and performance go hand-in-hand with the latest Bentley offered for sale by William Medcalf Vintage Bentley, world-renowned authority in all things vintage Bentley.  Any future owner will also get a touch of period luxury with their new car, as it also comes with a set of Louis Vuitton luggage. The two suitcases are made to fit on the rear luggage rack of this pristine and majestic car, and are in immaculate condition. The matching cases are held firmly in place by bespoke metal fastenings front and rear, and come with immaculate leather covered handles and metal catches and hinges. Perhaps more importantly, the 1931 8 Litre Bentley comes with a long racing pedigree that includes a selection of course records and class wins over an illustrious competing career. It is a perfect example of the high-end vehicles offered for sale […]

José Mourinho has mastered the art of high-speed drifting and full throttle ice driving on a 60km frozen lake at Jaguar Land Rover’s extreme testing facility in Arjeplog, Sweden. The sporting icon was testing a high-performance Jaguar F-PACE S as part of an extreme driver training experience just 40 miles from the Arctic Circle. In 2017, the Jaguar Ice Drive Experience will be available to customers from all over the world.

The 2016 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour has been won by the McLaren 650S GT3 of customer team Tekno Autosports in one of the hardest fought battles in the history of the event. On its debut outing at the iconic Mount Panorama, the 650S GT3 claimed the clean sweep over the course of the weekend with pole position, fastest lap, overall race win and a new lap record. The trio of Alvaro Parente, Shane Van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb triumphed in the battle of strategies which saw five different manufacturers lead the race over the 12 hours. A record-breaking qualifying session saw the four examples of the 650S GT3 qualify within the top six, with pole position in the Pro-Am class for customer team Objective Racing and overall pole position and a new lap record for Van Gisbergen and the […]

MG Motor UK is celebrating a great start to 2016 with a 132% increase on January sales after 313 vehicles were registered last month. Figures released today from The Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that last year MG sold 135 cars in January. This year, due to growing awareness in the brand and a range of great deals, the manufacturer has seen a percentage change of 131.85%. In December, popular offers such as the £2,000 minimum part-exchange contributed to MG finishing the year with a surge in sales. The offer was continued for another month and finished on 31st January. Matthew Cheyne, MG’s Head of Sales and Marketing said, “We are thrilled to see that our great offers have contributed to so many more people choosing an MG. We hope that through raising awareness of the new […]