Marques

A pristine slice of Group B rallying history is going up for sale at the Coys auction at Autosport International, in the form of a show-condition MG Metro 6R4. The Metro 6R4 is headlining a star-cast of over 60 rare and collectable road and race cars going under the hammer live at Autosport International. This particular example is one of the lowest mileage examples of its kind, having covered just 3,100 miles since it was built in 1985. Its pristine condition is down to the fact that, unusually, it has never been raced or rallied, as it was the original Rothmans show car. Instead, it was mainly used as a display car at shows, although it was used for the occasional demonstration. As a result, it is a perfect, almost box fresh example of the 6R4.

British GT GT4 Drivers’ Champion Ross Gunn (18) has won the inaugural Aston Martin Racing Evolution Academy, receiving a factory-backed contract with Aston Martin Racing for the 2016 season.   Competing against a strong field of young hopefuls, aged between 16 and 25 years old, the High Wycombe-born GT4 rookie excelled in the academy’s seminars held throughout 2015. Focusing on key areas such as fitness, simulator sessions, engineering, marketing and PR, a final group of six were selected for the Bahraini showdown. After shadowing the Aston Martin Racing team throughout the FIA World Endurance Championship’s season finale, each of the six finalists enjoyed two track sessions as part of the official WEC rookie test, driving the 2015 V8 Vantage GTE.

At least two Bentley Continental GT3s will enter the 2016 Pirelli World Challenge as Bentley Team Absolute announces a programme including entries from young American rising star Andrew Palmer and one of Asia’s top sportscar drivers, Adderly Fong. The Pirelli World Challenge is a 20-round GT championship comprising 50-minute-long, single-driver races on eleven of America’s most historic and iconic racetracks, including Laguna Seca and Road America.  The Continental GT3 has taken race wins in the championship this year and Bentley Team Absolute is looking to continue the race car’s success in the States.

As another year draws to a close, MG Motor UK takes a moment to reflect on what 2015 has brought and what 2016 is yet to bring. This year has seen another significant step in the growth of MG, with the launch of the new MG6, a rise in MG3 sales and new additions to the dealer network. At the beginning of the year, the manufacturer celebrated a record first quarter when sales boomed and made it the best since the new MG company was formed. This saw the 2014 achievement of ‘fastest growing automotive brand in Britain’ carry over into 2015. Throughout the year, sales have continued to grow and MG reached 3,000 registrations this month.

It’s the Brits, and they are making their way to the Middle East shores with MG’s first SUV, the MG GS. Without a doubt, the MG range had definitely had a strong impact during the Dubai International Motor Show this year, and the much-loved British brand’s current lineup had won many awards too. Enter MG GS, the very first MG SUV that reflects the brand’s innovative designs and more importantly, the aesthetics of the car was pretty much influenced by various cultural elements and landmarks of British-style and heritage. Also, it comes as no surprise as the GS is the only British compact SUV in the middle-class market segment.

As the ultimate incarnation of the world famous Exige, Lotus has revealed the Exige Sport 350, the latest version of the class-leading and award-winning sports car, that’s lighter and faster than ever before. A video demonstrating some of the areas where weight savings have been made, together with a glimpse of the stunning performance of this Sport 350 variant can be found on the Group Lotus YouTube and is included below. The 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine generates 345 hp and 295lbft of torque at 4500rpm, offering scintillating, progressive power to the road, while revised suspension tuning and wheel geometry contribute to un-matched vehicle dynamics and steering precision. Coupled with the car’s lower mass, this power and torque enables the Lotus Exige Sport 350 to accelerate to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds (0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds) before reaching a top […]

A one-of-a-kind Land Rover Defender sold for a record £400,000 at a prestigious charity auction at Bonhams tonight, from which all proceeds are being donated to Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners. This is the thought to be the most valuable production Land Rover ever to be sold at auction. The unique vehicle, the two-millionth of the iconic Series Land Rover and Defender models manufactured at Land Rover’s Solihull plant since 1948, was sold to a bidder from Qatar. The vehicle was built in May 2015 by an all-star cast of brand ambassadors and people from Land Rover’s history including Bear Grylls, Virginia McKenna OBE and Stephen and Nick Wilks, sons of the founders of Land Rover. All proceeds from the sale will be donated to Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners: the International Federation of Red Cross and Red […]

Of the 35 candidates for the 2016 European Car of the Year award, the Jaguar XE is one of just seven to be short listed. The 58 jurors representing 22 European countries will announce the winner on 29February 2016. Key criteria for European Car of the Year are technical innovation and value for money. Developed using Jaguar’s Lightweight Aluminium Architecture, the XE is the most fuel-efficient Jaguar and offers the lowest total cost of ownership of any Jaguar, boasting class-leading residual values and CO2 emissions from just 99g/km. Together with benchmark vehicle dynamics, perfect proportions and dramatic Jaguar design, these qualities have already contributed to 23 global awards. The inherent strength and stiffness of the body structure, together with cutting-edge driver assistance systems including stereo camera-based Autonomous Emergency Braking, helped the XE to achieve the maximum five star safety rating […]

The Bentley Continental GT is one of the most iconic cars on the road today. The Continental name first entered the company’s lexicon in 1952 with the R-Type Continental – arguably the world’s first Grand Tourer. With a top speed of 120 mph it was the fastest four-seater in the world at the time of its launch. Many of the 208 examples produced were coachbuilt by Mulliner – a name that is still closely associated with Bentley to this day. With just three strokes of the designer’s pen, the shape of the Continental comes to life – the striking power line, muscular rear haunches and swooping, fast roof line. These three elegant styling cues have remained a fundamental part of the Continental’s DNA over six decades. Today’s Continental elegantly fulfils the same grand-touring brief as its forebear. With immense W12 […]

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced that the company is seeking a record number of candidates for its 2016 Apprenticeship Programme. Seventeen places are available, the highest number of annual apprenticeships since the programme launched in 2006.The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Apprenticeship Programme provides people aged 16-24 with the opportunity to train with the Goodwood-based manufacturer of the world’s best-selling super-luxury cars. The apprenticeships last for up to four years and combine on-the-job training with The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Apprenticeship Programme provides people aged 16-24 with the opportunity to train with the Goodwood-based manufacturer of the world’s best-selling super-luxury cars. The apprenticeships last for up to four years and combine on-the-job training with classroom based studying for nationally recognised qualifications. The programme has been designed in conjunction with several local colleges.The selection process is designed to guarantee recruitment of the very best […]

So our video this week is thanks to the MG Owners’ Club. They ran a contest recently asking folks to create a video answering the question, “Why do I love my MG?”  The winning entry is our VotW this go round. It is by Alex McLeod and features his beautiful yellow MGBGT. Congratulations to Alex McLeod who will receive a £50 MGOC Regalia Voucher. The videos in this contest were really superb, and you can see a few more of them on the MG Owners’ Club Website. The MG Owners Club is the World’s largest single marque car club. Formed in 1973 and supplying all MG requirements, the Club provides a full range of benefits for the dedicated MG enthusiast or the less enthusiastic owner who simply enjoys running an MG for everyday transport or just for fun. Catering for all […]

MG Motor UK is thrilled to have reached 3,000 registrations for 2015 before the year-end. Today, the British manufacturer has exceeded last year’s figures by almost 1,000, and this year’s figure has already surpassed 2013 and 2014 registrations combined. The increase in sales has been as a result of great deals, a continual expansion of the dealer network, and an ever-growing awareness of the brand. Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing for MG, said: “We are delighted to have reached 3,000 registrations for this year. It is such a rewarding moment to exceed previous years, and we strongly believe that next year will be no exception; particularly with the 2016 MG3 and arrival of our new and exciting SUV. “I would like to thank our dealer network for their continued efforts; it’s fantastic to be working with people who […]

Production of the full-size McLaren P1™ may have ended but McLaren Automotive has linked up with selected partners to offer every fan of any age a miniature McLaren P1™ of their own.  Many sizes, shapes and styles are available, from 1:64 models all the way up to an exact, hand-crafted 1:8 scale replica. The smallest size of McLaren P1™ is now within the reach of the very young, even if their only income is from pocket money, thanks to Mattel-HotWheels. The miniature die-cast toy McLaren P1™ is available in Volcano Orange and Supernova Silver and measures 75mm. The brand has been a favourite of young collectors since 1968 and remains one of the most popular toy car producers today. For those who would rather build their own, Lego® has created a Volcano Yellow McLaren P1™ as part of the Speed […]

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrated local community heroes yesterday evening at the annual Observer Community Awards in Bognor Regis. The Goodwood-based super-luxury manufacturer has been headline sponsor of the awards since 2009. Organised by the Chichester Observer Series of newspapers, the awards recognise the true heroes of local towns and villages who make such a difference to people’s lives. This year a record 15 categories were celebrated including Best Volunteer, Best Community Person, Best School, Mini Marvel, Outstanding Bravery, Best Local Charity/Charity Group and Contribution to the Arts. The gala evening was presented by broadcasting legend, Fred Dinenage.

Jaguar today announced its return to global motorsport. In the autumn of 2016, Jaguar will enter the third season of the exciting FIA Formula E Championship as a manufacturer with its own team.  FIA Formula E is the world’s first global single-seater championship for electric powered cars. FIA Formula E offers a unique opportunity for Jaguar Land Rover to further the development of future EV powertrain including motor and battery technology.

Jaguar and Land Rover showcased their latest collection of branded goods alongside licensed partners in central London today, to mark the launch of the brands’ 2016 collections. A special ice-sculpture of a Christmas-inspired Jaguar design was exclusively revealed at the London Edition hotel to celebrate the merchandise and luxury goods launch.  Codenamed ‘F-SLEIGH’, the Jaguar Christmas sleigh takes inspiration from the Jaguar F-TYPE convertible, but with skates in place of wheels, a generous open luggage compartment for gifts and jet power to generate Jaguar’s renowned supercharged performance through the night sky.  A Growler-embossed red nose completes the F-SLEIGH’s Christmas theme.

A classic Aston Martin has broken the auction record to become the most expensive British car ever sold at auction, fetching £9.45 million.  The DB4/GT Zagato, which when new in 1962 cost £5,470, was sold at RM Sotheby’s Driven By Disruption event in New York Saturday, the 12th. The price marks a new record for a British car at auction (even if it fell slightly shy of the £10 million some had expected), which was previously held by a McLaren F1 that went for £8.8 million earlier this year.

MG Motor UK is pleased to announce a new three-year contract extension with Triple Eight Racing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). This new contract will see MG Triple Eight Racing battling it out in this ultra competitive series for more pole positions and manufacturer championship wins until 2018. Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing for MG, said: “We are really excited to be renewing this partnership. The BTCC has given us the opportunity to give our brand some fantastic exposure, so we’re thrilled to be continuing this for another three years.