People

When I was at the Amelia Island show a few weeks ago, there was far more to see than just the cars. One of the booths that caught my eyes and pulled me contained artwork by Lory Lockwood. Her collection, known as Portraits in Chrome, are more than just paintings of cars – they are true portraits that bring out the curves and the reflections. Lory is a trained artist and had done much work before turning to motorized subjects. She says she started in doing motorized subjects in the mid-90s but didn’t become seriously involved in this aspect of painting until around 2004 or so. Her husband, Tony, is a Brit and owner of a 1959 TR3A and a 1966 E-Type Jaguar. He is also Lory’s business manager.

Bentley Motors has teamed up with the godfather of British pop art, Sir Peter Blake, to create a one-of-a-kind Bentley Continental GT V8 S Convertible. This unique car will be auctioned for charity by Bonhams at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 24 June. Bentley commissioned Sir Peter to deliver the world’s first pop art Bentley, drawing on inspiration from the acclaimed artist’s celebrated career at the forefront of the famous British pop art movement. Bentley has donated the car to the Care2Save Charitable Trust, which provides palliative and hospice care around the world.

MINI UK is proud to announce British racing driver, Charlie Butler-Henderson, 37, as a new brand ambassador. 2016 will represent the first time Butler-Henderson competes as a MINI ambassador but he is in no way new to the track. He has driven in the British Touring Car Championship, MINI CHALLENGE 2015, Ginetta G50 Cup and the Trofeo Abarth 500 Great Britain. Butler-Henderson has racing in his blood, coming from a long line of motorsport heritage. His father, Guy, was a member of the British karting team; his Grandfather, Lionel, raced cars for racing legend Fraser Nash, and his sister Vicki, TV presenter on 5th gear and Top Gear, is known as the first woman to win a Maserati race at age 30 in the Maserati Trofeo support race at the British F1 GP in 2002. Butler-Henderson joins the MINI racing […]

The opportunity has arisen following the retirement of Steve Kite, who’s been working with Gaydon’s exhibits for more than 25 years, and the subsequent promotion of former apprentice Martin Brown to be the museum’s head mechanic. The Warwickshire museum, which reopened in February following a £1.1m refurbishment, says it’s looking for a skilled mechanic with a background of historic car restoration. For information about the new mechanic role visit the current vacancies page on the museum’s website. ‘This is a rare opportunity for a skilled mechanic with a sound background in historic car restoration and vehicle maintenance to join our workshop team,’ says workshop team leader Paul Gilder. ‘We look after more than 300 historic British cars dating back to the 1900s, so it is a varied role with plenty of marques and models to work on.’ Department: British Motor […]

Bob Frampton, who lives in Abingdon, is fishing for memories from past workers at the town’s historic MG manufacturer. Frampton has dedicated his retirement to his town’s history is tracking down anecdotes about an iconic car plant. The Oxford Mail has published this story about Bob Frampton and the book he hopes to write. Peachcroft resident Mr Frampton, 69, said: “I wanted to capture the memories that are not recorded. What people recall.”

The Queen’s Bentley Mulsanne limousine has gone on sale for just under £200,000 on Auto Trader in the UK. This rolling piece of history was reserved for exclusive use by the Monarch during a two-year period from 2012 to 2014 when the Bentley was retired from Royal duties. The Mulsanne was pressed into service by the Queen during her Diamond Jubilee celebrations and for a unique visit to 10 Downing Street where she attended her first-ever cabinet meeting with Prime Minister, David Cameron, who greeted her on her arrival. The limousine was first prepared and registered by Bentley in Crewe at its headquarters for exclusive use by the Queen. The Royal wheels features several upgrades including walnut burr veneered picnic tables, door panels and rear quarter vanity mirrors. There are embroidered Bentley emblems to all seats and the car runs […]

Goodwood is pleased to report that driver Michiel Smits is now recovering at home with his family following an incident on Sunday 20 March at 15.45hrs when his Lola T70 was struck by stray bodywork from another car causing him to crash. Commenting on the incident Michiel says he is “enjoying my own bed at home at the moment”, he added “my injuries are serious but will heal within 3 months, given the situation I am a happy person as it could have turned (out) much worse.” Michiel continued “The car will be repaired a.s.a.p. to be able to join races when I can. Further I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.” Goodwood wishes Michiel a full and speedy recovery.

The new Jaguar F-TYPE SVR, the fastest production Jaguar ever, has been put through its first high speed test drive with Fast and Furious star Michelle Rodriguez at the wheel. On a closed highway in the Nevada desert, home to the world’s fastest road race the Silver State Classic Challenge, the actress pushed the car to its top speed with the speedometer indicating 201mph – a personal top speed for Michelle. Michelle Rodriguez said: Driving this car was insane! I’ve now broken my personal speed record in the beautiful Jaguar F-TYPE SVR. Reaching 201mph felt amazing, the car drove really smoothly, all my corrections were minimal, I was super focused, and it really reacted in all the right ways. I don’t think I’d ever go this fast without a professional driver seated next to me, but oh man, it was an incredible […]

I don’t often post news or reviews that have basically nothing to do with cars, but this is an exception. Being as we here are all fans of British cars, I sense that that love of Britains expands out beyond the cars and encompasses many other things British – people, places, and history just to name a few. Bill Bryson, author and travel writer, has published a follow-up to his Notes From A Small Island from 20 years ago. The Road To Little Dribbling sess Bryson making his way by foot, car and rail from the south end of England to the far north of Scotland. Along the way, he observes not only the general English condition but makes note of things that have changed since the journey of his early book. What there is about cars in this book is […]

Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer has been selected to become an ambassador for the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign, an initiative that promotes British business, tourism and education around the world, showcasing the very best of what Britain has to offer. British luxury carmaker Aston Martin is already a partner of GREAT so it is fitting for the company’s CEO to spearhead its involvement. Speaking about his ambassadorial role with the GREAT campaign, Dr Palmer said: “Aston Martin is proud to be a British company that does business in the global economy. Just a few weeks ago we launched the new DB11 and we have already taken orders for 1,400 cars, which will be sold in both the domestic and export markets. “Britain is indeed a GREAT place to visit, study and do business so it is very easy […]

The Morgan Motor Company and University of Wolverhampton today (15/03/2016) announced a partnership between the two organisations that will enhance student experience and future product development through motorsport. The collaboration will see the University and Morgan, the oldest privately owned motor manufacturer in the world, team up to provide engineering students with a range of activities and opportunities including educational programmes, research and development and motor racing. UWR (University of Wolverhampton Race Team) students will have the opportunity to work alongside Morgan craftsmen and women as they take part in the 2016 AR Motorsport Morgan Challenge Series. Running a University liveried Morgan Plus 4 Babydoll, the students will attend every race meeting as well as preparing and testing the car from their Telford Innovation campus in Priorslee.

MG Triple Eight Racing has signed Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton for the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), each driving a works-supported MG6. Cook, 2014 Renault UK Clio Cup runner-up, made his debut in the BTCC last year with Power Maxed Racing. Cook caught the eye at both Donington Park and Rockingham as he duelled for the lead, reached the podium and posted a fastest race lap – he carried on this form and went on to clinch victory in the Jack Sears Trophy come season’s end. “I’m over the moon to be working with a team and manufacturer that has such heritage,” said Cook. “I have worked extremely hard since the end of last season to get back on the grid – it was the only place I wanted to be. I now have an important job […]

Our video this week comes by way of the Suncoast British Car Club and featured Gerry Coker. Gerry was born “Gerald Charles Coker” June 24, 1922 in Northamptonshire, England.  He is known in the Healey world for his body design of the Healey Hundred introduced in 1952. He joined the Donald Healey Motor Company as Healey’s body engineer in 1950.  His first job was to look after the Nash Healeys as they came from Panelcraft, the Nash Healey body makers. Early on at the DHMC, Healey challenged Gerry to show him a sports car design, and in late 1950, he created the body design for what would become the Austin-Healey 100.  This timelessly beautiful sports car stole the show in October, 1952 when it debuted as the Healey Hundred at the London Motor Show at Earls Court. Gerry also styled the Austin-Healey […]

British Motor Heritage (BMH) recently hosted a party of students from TRAX, the Oxford-based charity that for 25 years has provided automotive training for students from the ages of 14 to 19

BBC has announced that racing driver Sabine Schmitz, YouTube star Chris Harris, F1 pundit Eddie Jordan and motoring journalist Rory Reid will join Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc and of course, The Stig, when Top Gear returns in May. Eddie Jordan, once ran his own Formula One team with drivers like Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill on the roster. He said: “I have such enormous respect for all my fellow presenters and I politely ask that they go easy on these old bones.”

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.

UPDATE: Comments and the contest are now closed because we have a winner! Yes, out of all the entries Frank Stabler was selected through a random drawing to receive the prize. Congratulations Frank! Last year, at Sir Stirling Moss‘s suggestion, Porter Press reprinted their most popular Scrapbook documenting his amazing 1955 year which of course included the Mille Miglia win and first GP victory. And we are having a contest to give one away. The 1955 Stirling Moss Scrapbook is now back in stock to commemorate sixty years of this crucial year for the racing driver. The first of a series of Stirling Moss scrapbooks which now includes as separate volumes 1926-54, 1956-60, and 1961, the 1955 Scrapbook evokes memories of the heyday of classic motorsport. We covered this book when it came out back in July, and were sent one […]

Ahead of the 2016 season, McLaren GT has added to its off-track team with the appointment of Bas Leinders to the role of Sporting Manager. Confirmation of a number of new McLaren GT customer teams for the 2016 season has further strengthened the GT3 grids around the world. Leinders brings valuable experience to the teams on the pitwall and he will work with customer teams to further optimise the potential of the 650S GT3. Leinders, 40, has enjoyed a successful GT and single-seat racing career, which included winning the German Formula 3 in 1998 before joining the McLaren junior team alongside former Formula 1™ driver Nick Heidfeld, and a role as Formula 1™ test and reserve driver. The move to GT racing saw Leinders claim back-to-back FIA GT G2 championship wins between 2006 and 2008 among further accolades. The Belgian […]