New Cars

MINI USA introduced today the biggest, most adventurous MINI ever, the all-new 2017 MINI Countryman. Additionally, for the first time ever, a MINI model will be offered as a plug-in hybrid, combining the best of both worlds.  The MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 will be powered by both a three-cylinder MINI TwinPower Turbo Technology gasoline engine and an electric hybrid synchronous motor. All three of the new MINI Countryman variants will make their World Premiere at the Los Angeles International Auto Show at a press conference on Wednesday, November 16th, at 11:50 am PDT. The all-new MINI Countryman has been completely redesigned and reengineered from the ground up, yet still is instantly identifiable as a MINI. Now incorporating BMW Group engine technology and vehicle architecture, the all-new MINI Countryman offers an all-turbocharged engine lineup with outstanding acceleration and the […]

Jaguar Land Rover showcased its latest Connected and Autonomous Vehicle technologies as part of the UK Autodrive demonstrations taking place at HORIBA MIRA. In a UK first, Jaguar Land Rover is working with Ford and Tata Motors European Technical Centre to test connected technologies that will allow cars to talk to each other as well as the roadside infrastructure, such as traffic lights, in the future. Connected and Autonomous Vehicle technologies are one of Jaguar Land Rover’s research priorities. It is creating a fleet of more than 100 research vehicles to develop and test a wide range of Connected and Autonomous Vehicle technologies over the next four years. Ultimately, these technologies will enhance the driving experience as well as making driving smarter, safer and even cleaner in the years to come. Tony Harper, Head of Research, Jaguar Land Rover, said: […]

Note: This is a guest post by Christopher Silvestri who is the owner of Christopher John, Ltd, in Daytona Beach, Florid. They are the newly designated US dealer for Raptor Sports Cars.  A question for automotive aficionados: What do you get when you combine the DNA of a Shelby Cobra with something Batman would unleash upon the roadways of Gotham? I give you, dear reader and fellow motoring enthusiast, the Raptor R165. It is yet another example of what I call “attainable luxury,” a sports car with an English pedigree and an international following, which has an unmistakable personality – and an undeniable degree of performance – at a reasonable price.

Hallmark MINI driving fun combined with zero tailpipe emissions. With the introduction of the first plug-in hybrid model by the British premium brand, this will soon be a reality. The series development process for this car has almost been completed. It features a combustion engine and an electric motor enabling purely electric propulsion for the first time in a MINI. This marks the beginning of a new phase for MINI, and offers a glimpse into a future that is charged with excitement for MINI customers and those drivers yet to experience the thrill of a hybrid. Head of MINI brand management Sebastian Mackensen and Head of MINI series management Peter Wolf offer insight into this new near-series test vehicle, and explain how it retains go-kart feeling in the true spirit of a MINI during a test drive of this model.

The Rolls-Royce VISION NEXT 100, codenamed 103EX, today made its North American debut at the historic Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. 103EX is the marque’s first ever pure ‘Vision Vehicle’ and defines the future of luxury mobility. It presents an intriguing and aesthetically dynamic vision of the future of luxury mobility – a completely personal, effortless and autonomous Rolls-Royce experience, wrapped in a design that ensures a ‘Grand Sanctuary’ for its occupants and a ‘Grand Arrival’. 103EX is one of four visionary creations announced by the BMW Group in Munich on 7 March 2016, as it launched its centenary celebrations.

The New Discovery embodies Land Rover’s drive to go Above and Beyond, combining British desirability with an unstoppable spirit of adventure. It’s an authentic, three-row, seven-seat SUV with unbeatable capability and versatility.  The new Land Rover Discovery will go on sale from Spring 2017 priced from £43,495 /$49,990 (OTR). Everyday ingenuity has been at the heart of the Discovery attracting more than 1.2 million customers over the last 27 years. The fifth-generation model benefits from Land Rover’s strong, safe and light full-size SUV architecture, delivering comfort and adaptability like no other.

Land Rover has revealed the New Discovery seven-seat SUV by breaking a Guinness World Record for the largest LEGO structure ever built. Long-term Land Rover Discovery owners Bear Grylls, Sir Ben Ainslie and Zara Phillips took part in the dynamic live reveal of Land Rover’s most versatile model around a 13-metre high LEGO version of London’s Tower Bridge.

Aston Martin has commenced production of the highly anticipated DB11 for UK customers, the first core car launched under the luxury carmaker’s six year ‘Second Century Plan’. With the first DB11 coming off the Gaydon production line today, first deliveries to customers will take place during October. Aston Martin President and CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, who will personally assure the quality by inspecting the first 1,000 cars, said: “It’s an exciting moment for the entire company when the first car of a new model goes into production. The DB11 is a special car and it heralds the start of a new and exciting era for Aston Martin.” The new DB11 is the first in a line of seven new models to be launched over the next seven years, in line with the company’s ‘Second Century Plan’, which takes the 103-year-old […]

A rotary engine that is said to be more efficient and reliable than regular rotary units has been created by British firm Advanced Innovative Engineering (AIE). The Lichfield-based company demonstrated its 120bhp engine at the 2016 Low Carbon Vehicle event at Millbrook late last week in a custom-built open-top sports car. The 650S rotary engine is said to be half the size and half the weight of the equivalent four-cylinder piston engine, and benefits from patented technology including a so-called Self-Pressurising-Air Rotor Cooling System.

Liverpool-based BAC continues to go from strength to strength with the announcement that leading luxury dealer group H.R. Owen is to become an agent for the single-seat Mono supercar. BAC sells the Mono worldwide, but the addition of H.R. Owen to its UK operation is a leap forward in terms of ensuring Mono reaches the right audience and generates countrywide visibility.

The new MINI John Cooper Works Clubman offers all the style, practicality and fresh-thinking of the Clubman, combined with the high performance and sporting dynamics of the John Cooper Works range. The result is a unique and exclusive proposition that combines the John Cooper Works-specification engine and corresponding modifications with MINI’s ALL4 all-wheel drive system. In creating this potent model, able to take full advantage of the maximum possible traction in all conditions, MINI has created a powerful but practical vehicle that’s fun to drive in the true spirit of a MINI.

Zenos Cars is reporting ongoing sales success, just days after the owners of the 100th Zenos model to be built took home their new car. Demand for the company’s high-performance, lightweight sports cars means that all build slots for 2016 are now accounted for, while few are left for the first quarter of 2017. Since production of the naturally-aspirated Zenos E10 and turbocharged Zenos E10 S began in early 2015, the range has been expanded with the 350 bhp Zenos E10 R and a 280 bhp upgrade kit for the best-selling E10 S. The sales network has also expanded, with the Zenos E10 series now sold in 10 markets encompassing Europe, Asia and North America.

In order to create the world’s most capable family SUV you must first understand the needs of the world’s most capable families. That’s why the Land Rover Discovery’s designers and engineers take their work home with them. Throughout the thousands of hours of development that go into making an all-new Land Rover, there’s a team of children testing, challenging and representing the needs of the modern family every day. And the toughest thing of all? Keeping everything their mums and dads do a secret right up until the new car is revealed.

Caterham Cars has built a variant of its iconic Seven that was seemingly planned in the mid-1960s but never launched – the Caterham Seven Sprint. As though dug up in a time capsule, the retro detailing of the Caterham Seven Sprint will delight Seven purists and provides the perfect scene-setter to the brand’s ‘60 Years of the Seven’ anniversary, which will be celebrated next year.

Bentley Motors is today announcing the introduction of a new flagship to the Flying Spur range, blending luxury, style and power: the Flying Spur W12 S. The new model is the first four-door Bentley to have a top speed in excess of 200 mph, and offers a more sporting experience for owners looking for increased power, torque and responsiveness.

In a celebration of style and lightweight performance, and helping mark the 50th anniversary of the company’s famous Hethel site, Lotus has revealed the latest addition to its collection: the exclusive Elise 250 Special Edition. Based on the critically acclaimed Elise Cup 250 launched earlier this year, but featuring a raft of exclusive components as standard, the new Lotus Elise 250 Special Edition offers an outstanding combination of performance and panache. With a supercharged 243 hp engine, a 0-60mph time of 3.9 seconds, and a unique, hand-finished interior, it perfectly defines the quintessential British sportscar in this celebration year.

Last produced in 1939, a modernised completed Atalanta will be displayed at the fifth International Concours of Elegance at Windsor Castle on 2-4 September 2016. The world’s rarest cars from around the world, spanning more than 100 years of automotive progress, will gather at the Concours of Elegance at Windsor Castle this September. Amongst the icons, look out for the reawakening of a lesser-known British automotive rarity – the new Atalanta.

To accompany the North American debut of the Vanquish Zagato Coupe at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Aston Martin is proud to announce a striking partner for this very special car; the Vanquish Zagato Volante. Driven by overwhelming customer interest for the previously revealed Coupe, the Vanquish Zagato Volante will be strictly built to a limited production run of 99 cars at Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon, England.