Classic Cars

Our video this week features a car you rarely see anymore, especially in the US, the Hillman Imp. The video takes a look at the production of the Hillman Imp at the plant in Linwood, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The program includes interviews with past members of the Linwood workforce. It also examines the wider workforce, trade union, management and government relationships which existed throughout much of UK manufacturing in the 1960’s and 70’s. The Hillman Imp was a small economy car made by the Rootes Group and its successor Chrysler Europe from 1963 until 1976. It was made in many different forms and in addition to the Hillman marque was also marketed as both Sunbeam and Singer. Unveiled in 1963 after much advance publicity, it was the first British mass-produced car with the engine block and cylinder head cast in aluminum.

International auctioneers Coys have set new world records for two Range Rovers, originally commissioned for King Juan Carlos of Spain, at their Essen Techno Classica sale in Germany on Saturday 24th March. The 1977 Range Rover by Alcom Devices sold for €78,750 and the 1973 Range Rover Cabriolet went for €78,750 as well, proving the trend that early Range Rovers are becoming increasingly popular. Given the political climate of the time, the 1977 Range Rover was ordered from Alcom Devices in London and boasted, amongst other features, special armour, 10mm bulletproof glass all round and a James Bond-like communication system for the King, which made it possible to track him in cars, yachts, helicopters or anywhere else.

William Medcalf continues to expand his vintage Bentley business beyond the realms of most classic car specialists. Not only is William Medcalf Vintage Bentley the world leader in the sales, service, restoration and rally preparation of any vintage Bentley model, the company also designs and manufactures hundreds of parts lines from its West Sussex HQ. Under the name of Benchmark Precision Engineering, Medcalf designs and fabricates a number of parts in-house using the latest CadCam technology and 3D printing methods. By doing this, William can personally engineer out known issues, making strong, usable components that follow the ethos of WO Bentley while ensuring modern tolerances and, crucially, retaining originality.

In October 2016, a survey revealed that female classic car ownership in the UK had increased by 40% since 2014. The data suggests that approximately 11% of the classic car market is now made up of women, which emphasizes how female classic car ownership is becoming increasingly popular. So, what is making classic cars so appealing to female drivers? Is it the financial benefits, or the pure love of the classic car that encourages more and more women to invest in them? To find out, this article will explore the market as a whole, as well as look at some real-life examples of female classic car owners to find out what inspired them to invest in classic cars.

As they like to say in the collector car auction community, there was “plenty of money in the room.”  With 101 cars going across the stage on Friday night, just over $27 million was spent, with 86% of the cars reaching their reserves; a successful event by any measure. Held in the ballroom of the luxurious and elegant Ritz-Carlton, the audience and venue were nearly as star-studded at the cars themselves. Highlights of the evening were a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB, a 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RS and a Marmon Sixteen LeBaron Coupe.  The Ferrari, the top seller of the auction, was one of approximately 58 long-nose, torque-tube, triple-carburetor, steel-bodied examples. Retaining its original chassis, engine, and gearbox, the beautifully presented car sold for a final $2,205,000.

Let’s hit the road! Our Video of the Week this time goes all the way back to 1964. Part of me honestly wishes that wasn’t so long ago, and part of me finds it hard to believe that 54 years have passed since then. But anyway, our video is of a RAC rally from ’64 and features some great cars. From Minis to MGBs, you will find them in this video. There is also an Austin Healey, a Rover, and a host of other cars of the period both British and non-British. One of the things that always strikes me when I watch these old films is how safety standards have changed. These days you would never get as close to the actual racing as spectators used to do. Also helmets and other protective gear just don’t figure into the […]

Friend of Just British and purveyor of large-scale automotive art Garage Graphics is proud to announce the launch of their new website. Not exactly years in the making but they’ve worked hard to deliver a vastly improved web user experience. While not British only, there are plenty of British cars featured in the gallery. The revamped site is easy to navigate and simple to understand, featuring a ton of great information about our backlit, front lit, wall hung, and free standing displays.

A few years ago, Jaguar Land Rover made news by purchasing the entire James Hull classic car collection, which featured 543 cars, including 130 Jaguars and some extremely rare prototypes. The company never revealed how much it spent to acquire all of these models, but it seems ready to recoup some of its losses, and concentrate the collection as it will be auctioning at least approximately cars from the group at Brightwells Classic Cars on March 31.  No Jaguars or Land Rovers are being offered up for sale. The collection consists mostly of Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Morris, Ford, MG, Austin, Vauxhall, Peugeot, and Citroën cars, as well as several more minor brands. Some of the most notable offerings will be a 1972 Reliant Ferguson 4×4 prototype car—the only one in the world—a 1974 Rover P6 3500 Estate, a 1978 Vauxhall Chevette 2300, and an […]

Jaguar Classic is re-starting production of the iconic D-type race car in Coventry, 62 years after the last example was built in 1956. The first Jaguar D-type to be assembled by Jaguar Classic, an engineering prototype, will make its world debut at the Salon Retromobile show in Paris this week.  Just 25 new examples of the D-type will be meticulously hand-built at Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works in Warwickshire. In 1955 Jaguar planned to build 100 D-types. With only 75 completed, Jaguar Classic is now fulfilling the company’s original ambition by creating 25 all-new, period-correct sports cars.

Our video this week is a five-decade-old series Land Rover that has been converted to run on steam. Yes. You read that correctly. Retiree Frank Rothwell from Oldham in England says he spent about £24,000 building the vehicle and about 400 hours of his time. He plans to drive Mildred to work this summer, and take it to shows. Best of all, he says, “It keeps me out of the pub.” This is a five-decade-old series Land Rover that has been converted to run on steam. That’s right, it swaps the regular engine for a steam-puffing, chimney-clad, coal-fired burner. At a cost of £24,000, the deep irony of the build isn’t lost on us. The car that became the Defender, itself a vehicle that EU law has deemed archaic and no longer fit to meet emissions rules, has been adapted […]

How about something a bit more eclectic? For our Video of the Week this go-round we are going to feature some early footage with Bill Fink of Isis Imports describing his love of the Morgan car. This video also features footage of Bill in his Morgan SLR, one of 3 Morgan racing coupes built. The SLR name was actually short for Sprinzel LawrenceTune Racing, noting Lawrence’s collaboration with John Sprinzel, who is best known for creating and racing the Speedwell Sprites. The lightweight body’s rough lines were penned by Chris Spender. His design was further refined by Charlie Williams of coach-builder Williams and Pritchard. The final product looked nothing like any Morgan that came before. Isis Imports, now changing its name to Morgan Cars USA, is the work of Bill Fink.  Named for the river on which Bill rowed while at Oxford, Isis […]

According to many, the last “real” MG was the MGB series which included the MGC — a very important part of the MG history. With over a half million built from 1962 thru 1980, the “B” was certainly the world’s best selling sports car until very recently being surpassed by the Mazda Miata. In this new video put out by Shelbourne Films and available on the Youtube MG channel restoration expert Tom Metcalf, North American MGB Register’s Alan Magnuson, and John Rogers of the North American MGC Register provide interesting and insightful information about these cars. In this new video put out by Shelbourne Films and available on the Youtube MG channel restoration expert Tom Metcalf, North American MGB Register’s Alan Magnuson, and John Rogers of the North American MGC Register provide interesting and insightful information about these cars.

Land Rover today announces a limited-edition high-performance version of the iconic Defender, with up to 150 V8-powered examples re-engineered to celebrate the Land Rover marque’s 70thanniversary in 2018. The Defender Works V8 pays homage to the early high-powered engines in both the Series III Stage 1 V8 from 1979 and subsequent Defenders including the 50th Anniversary Edition, which are highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors today. Defender Works V8 is the most powerful and fastest version that Land Rover has ever created. The 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V8 powertrain produces 405PS and 515 Nm of torque (the standard Defender delivered 122PS and 360 Nm). The Defender Works V8 will accelerate from 0-60mph in 5.6sec*, while top speed is increased to 106mph.

Let’s look at Minis. Our Video of the Week this week is a brief history of the Mini Cooper. And in this case, we mean the class Mini Cooper, not the more modern version from BMW. The video comes from the guys over at Donut Media and is, shall we say, irreverent. To quote Donut: It’s the most Iconic British car of all time: The Mini. It was an engineering marvel that revolutionized economy car design and became a motorsport legend along the way. Join us as we explore the Mini’s rich history and design quirks that made it one of the best selling cars in the U.K.

Land Rover will mark its 70th anniversary with a series of events and celebrations in 2018, beginning with the restoration of the vehicle that started it all – one of the three pre-production Land Rovers shown at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show launch. This gave the world its first glimpse of the shape that would become instantly recognizable as a Land Rover. For years the whereabouts of this launch Land Rover was a mystery. The demonstration vehicle from the Amsterdam show was last on the road in the 1960s, after which it spent 20 years in a Welsh field before being bought as a restoration project; it then lay languishing unfinished in a garden. Following its surprise discovery just a few miles outside of Solihull, UK – where the car was first built – the experts at Jaguar Land Rover Classic […]

Abingdon Spares will be hosting British Carburetor expert Joe Curto on Saturday, March 31, 2018. Joe is known nationally as well as internationally as an authority on SU carburetors. Joe will be at the Abingdon Spares shop in Deep River, Connecticut, for an informal presentation on SU carbs of all types. There will be a particular emphasis on the SU carburetors used on post-war MGs. Joe will explain the how’s and why’s of British carburetion. He will also provide tips on carburetor maintenance and tuning, as well as information on the do’s and don’ts of modifying your current setup. There will, of course, be lots of time for questions and answers from the audience. Joe is well known for his guidance and advice to both the expert and the bewildered MG owner on the subject of SUs. Mark your calendars now for […]

Morgan Motor Company will celebrate its most iconic Plus 8 with a 50th Anniversary Special Edition. The British marque has today released teaser images and video for the exclusive special edition ahead of its much-anticipated reveal at the Geneva Motor Show. The family-owned, bespoke sports car manufacturer will produce 50 of the special edition models, each to be sold through their existing Dealership network. The Plus 8 50th anniversary edition will be a true V8-powered thoroughbred tribute to Morgan’s most celebrated 4-wheeled model. Morgan’s crowning vehicle for fifty years, the Morgan Plus 8 continues to pioneer new technology within the classic Morgan bloodline. Deriving its name from the famed eight-cylinder engines it has adopted throughout its 50 years, the Plus 8 consistently offers the greatest power to weight ratio of any Morgan.

Porter Press International, the publisher of some of the world’s finest motoring books including the award-winning ‘Great Cars’ series, has launched a new entry-level book format under the name of Porter Profiles. The first book in this series is Austin-Healey 300 : The Story of DD 300 by Simon Ham. This more accessible series starts by taking readers back to the swinging sixties and the adventures of one of the most successful Big Healeys of all time – a charming story of a lost era told in 96 pages featuring insightful narrative, evocative archive photos, and new studio shots, all for a cover price of just £20 (currently about $27 USD). The Austin-Healey 3000, introduced in 1959 and manufactured until 1967, was relatively big and brutish for an English sports car. It was received affectionately in the UK but sold […]