People

John Twist is the MG guru behind Michigan’s University Motors who has helped countless people maintain, restore, and understand their MGs. He has run a successful shop, has an informative video series, and now is an international speaker. Twist will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame on Friday, June 2nd.  

McLaren Automotive has announced the promotion of Rob Melville to Design Director with immediate effect. He reports to Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Jens Ludmann. Rob joined McLaren Automotive in 2009 as Senior Designer, rising to Chief Designer in 2014. During his time at McLaren, Rob has worked on the McLaren P1™, the evolution of the 12C into the 650S, the 675LT, and was responsible for the Sports Series which won the ‘Best of the Best’ category in the coveted Red Dot design awards in 2016. Most recently he led the design of the 720S, the first model in the second-generation Super Series.

Robert ‘Bob’ Tullius is the founder of the famed Group 44 racing team, he won countless races, several championships and paved the way for sponsorship in modern racing. He is undeniably the best known and accomplished American racer of British sports cars. Tullius will be inducted on Friday into the British Sports Call Hall of Fame.

John Thornley, OBE was one of the founders of the MG Car Club and served as its first Secretary. Later, he went on to become Director and General Manager of the MG Car Company. John Thornley will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame in ceremonies on June 2, 2017.

John Sprinzel, one of the best-known racing and rally drivers of his era, won the British Rally Championship and his class at the 12 Hours of Sebring behind the wheel of an Austin-Healey Sprite. This “spritely” British auto racer and tuner will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame in Virginia next week.

The CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, Ralf Speth, has been awarded the top prize at the 2017 Autocar Awards, held in Silverstone’s iconic Wing building and headline sponsored by premium tire brand Vredestein. Speth was presented with the Issigonis Trophy, named after the creator of the legendary Mini, in recognition of his contribution to Jaguar Land Rover’s remarkable transformation following the sale of the brands to Tata Motors in 2008.

Each year the British Car Club of New Hampshire puts on their annual Show of Dreams to benefit the New Hampshire Food Bank and the High Hopes Foundation. It’s a great show and this is the 21st rendition. However, registrations are lagging a bit from where they were last year and, while it’s  regional show, we would like to give this show and its charities a bit of a boost. Remember, 100% of the proceeds go to the charities—a bit over $7000 was raised last year to help feed hungry kids. David Townsend of Sports Car Art has attended for the past 4 years and it’s just a great show. He says that although the show is not huge (about 200 cars or so), it is very well run and a ton of fun. For more information on the show, […]

Known as the Dalai Lama of the Sacred Octagon, Ken Smith is the Editor Emeritus of The MG Driver and was known for his numerous appearances at British car events across the country on behalf of Moss Motors. Ken will be inducted, along with 22 other worthy motorheads, into the British Sportscar Hall of Fame on June 2nd.

Graham Robson is a distinguished motoring historian whose working life has always been connected with fine cars and advanced engines. After starting his career at Jaguar, then running the ‘works’ motorsport team at Triumph, he developed a passion for motoring heritage and for classic cars. He has been an independent writer, historian and motoring consultant for many years, and has written more than 130 books. Robson will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame this June. In fact, we are pleased that he will also be MC of the event.

Sir Stirling Moss has ben described as the greatest Formula One driver to never win a World Championship. He competed in open wheel racing, sports cars, and land speed record vehicles, highlighted by a victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia, considered by many experts to be the greatest one day drive in history. He will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame in Petersburg, Virginia on June 2nd.

Giovanni Michelotti was a prolific designer, who styled cars for Ferrari, Maserati, BMW and Triumph, designing some of the latter’s most successful cars in the postwar era. When you look at a Triumph TR4, Spitfire, Stag or Herald, you are looking at Michelotti’s work. Giovanni Michelotti will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame on June 2, 2017.

Sir William Lyons was the founder, director, chairman and guiding force of Jaguar. That seems like such a short and simple sentence to convey the importance of the man known as “Mister Jaguar”. For over 40 years Lyons led the car company through its many iterations and shaped both the cars and the culture through personal determination. For those many years, Lyons simply was Jaguar. He will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame in just over two weeks.

Richard Langworth, CBE, is not just a renowned automotive writer, he is responsible for some of the most definitive marque histories ever published. Beyond this, he is also a recognized authority on Winston S. Churchill. His most recent book on Churchill is Churchill and the Avoidable War: Could World War II have been Prevented? and Winston Churchill, Myth and Reality: What He Actually Did and Said is due out in August. Richard M. Langworth will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame on June 2, 2017. Though never intending to become a historian, he has written, co-written or published 54 books and 2000 articles on automotive history—American, English and European. He is also a self-described “Chemistry drop-out at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1960), a fail-safe graduate of Wagner College (1963), a 120-day-wonder U.S. Coast Guard officer (1964-67), and a bored bureaucrat […]

Some of the greatest names in motor sport history make up the shortlist of contenders for this year’s Motor Sport Hall of Fame ceremony. Set to take place at the stunning Royal Automobile Club at Woodcote Park on Wednesday, June 7, the event will add four more legends to those already inducted, which includes Ayrton Senna, Juan Manuel Fangio, Sir Frank Williams and Tazio Nuvolari. Former Grand Prix driver Karun Chandhok helped to select the 12 contenders in the Formula 1 category, while Le Mans legend – and 2016 inductee – Derek Bell did likewise with the sports car list. More than 20,000 enthusiasts from all over the world then voted for their favorites in those categories, plus those for US racing and motorcycling. 

Richard “Dick” Knudson is well known as the co-founder of the New England MG T-Register and one of the guiding lights in the British car hobby. Additionally, he has written prolifically about the Sacred Octagon and its many accomplishments. Knudson will be one of 23 deserving individuals inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame on June 2, 2017.

To say that Cecil Kimber is famous for his role in the formation and growth of the MG Car Company would be a bit of an understatement. To title him as just an “automotive engineer” would be even more so. Cecil Kimber was the creator and driving force behind what would become one of the best-loved car brands of all time. Cecil Kimber will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame this June. Cecil Kimber was born in South London on April 12, 1888.  At a young age, he became interested in vehicles and motorsport. He attention was originally drawn to motorcycles, but after an accident that badly damaged his right leg, Kimber made the switch from two wheels to four wheels.

Sir John Henry Douglas Whitmore, 2nd Baronet has passed away.  He was born October 16, 1937, and died April 28, 2017.  Whitmore was one of Britain’s leading drivers of the 1960s, best known for winning the 1961 British Saloon Car Championship and the European Touring Car crown four years later. He started racing in the late 1950s and came to prominence in GT racing with a Lotus Elite, acquired with the help of his friend Lotus F1 driver Alan Stacey.

David Townsend, the artist behind Sports Car Art, has come out with some beautiful 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles. Some of them have been done in partnership with Moss Motors, and while Moss is carrying the MG, Triumph, and Austin-Healey, David is directly offering the Cunningham E-Type Jaguar, XKSS, C and D-Types, AC Cobra MKI, and the Austin-Healey 3000 Works Rally car. The puzzles are $59.95, build out to a full 18″ x 36″, and come in a really nice flip-top box.The puzzle quality/construction is of good quality cardboard and once constructed they would also look very nice framed. David began working on British cars as a youngster. From his first car—a ‘61 Morris Minor—through a succession of British iron including several MGBs, a Triumph TR3, Austin-Healey Sprite, Jaguar 3.4 MK1 and various other assorted vintage cars, his appreciation for these machines has […]