Classic Cars

The Jaguar Owners Association of North Texas (JOANT) again held its Concours D’Elegance in the quaint setting of the Down Town Square in Carrollton Texas. This event had a purpose greater than giving Jaguar Owners the opportunity to put their cars on display. That purpose was to honor longtime club member and major contributor to the success of the club, David Nichols. David had been a member for longer than anyone can remember and held almost every position needed to keep the club running. Lately, he has been the Chief Judge for the concours, so holding this event in his honor was only fitting.

We got this report from reader Russell Browne regarding the Spring Autojumble at Beaulieu and the British Racing Motors (BRM) V16 that made an appearance there. A quick line and photo from the Spring Autojumble at Beaulieu this side of the pond. Last weekend the weather was good for the Beaulieu Spring Autojumble fo 19/ 20 May 2018. Thousands of people gathered to look for sought-after bits and pieces amongst the many trade stands. The photo was taken at lunchtime when many folk made for the benches in the shade of the oaks. The highlight drawing many people was the startup of the 1950 BRM V16 with a newly restored engine. The Chief Engineer of the National Motor Museum took to the cockpit of the historic British Formula One car for the auspicious occasion. The V16 came to life immediately and sounded fantastic! […]

Our video this week comes from our friends over at Take to the Road. In fact, the featured car, a Vauxhall Viceroy, belongs to the site’s own Niall Julian. He told me this about his car and the video: I own a 1982 Vauxhall Viceroy, a car that I doubt many in N America have ever heard of, despite the General Motors connection. It was a mid range luxury saloon, based on the Opel Commodore C from West Germany. The car was first registered to Vauxhall UK in Luton and a couple of weeks ago I took the Viceroy back to where its journey first started. I went to the Vauxhall Heritage Centre and also got some shots outside the factory in Luton. How could I resist a car going back to its home? In the article on Take to the Road, […]

Edd China is set to return to our screens with a brand-new collaborative and real-time restoration series on YouTube. The former ‘Wheeler Dealers’ star has joined forces with long-time friend Al Cox for ‘Built by Many’, in which the intrepid duo will work with the audience to rebuild a 1968 Jaguar E-type Series 1 fixed-head coupé. Along the way, they will be delivering a wealth of ‘how to’ videos, plus a back-story on the car and the history of the legendary marque.

That there was a pent-up demand for a replacement MK1 Mini bodyshell was not in doubt, but British Motor Heritage (BMH) has nevertheless been stunned at the scale of orders since first displaying its prototype shell at the 2016 NEC Classic Motor Show. Dramatically rising values are at the heart of the demand Commented BMH’s Managing Director John Yea: A few years back, though values of good Mini-Coopers were climbing steadily, the limited worth of their 850 cousins made comprehensive restorations hard to justify. The picture is now very different, and enthusiasts are busy rejuvenating all versions of Issisgonis’ immortal baby at an ever-increasing rate. As a result we are constantly having to raise our production targets, and that’s without taking into account the shells we are creating for David Brown Automotive’s impressive Mini Remastered programme. At just £9,950 inc. […]

The Royal wedding. Yes, I am going there. Not being a true Royal follower myself, when I tune in to events such as this it is the cars that catch my attention more than there ceremonies. Although I will have to admit, this was actually a touching and important ceremony as it bridged not only the US and Great Britain but also the past and the future.  That bridging could also be seen in the combination of heritage and modernity seen in the most talked about car of the day. That most talked about car was the Electric E-Type used by Prince Harry and his bride when leaving the Windsor. We featured this amazing car a few months ago when it was first unveiled by Jaguar Land Rover Classic. The Jaguar E-type Zero not only drives and looks like an E-type, it […]

Exactly 70 years ago this past Friday, a new brand was introduced to the automotive world with a showcase of three all-terrain vehicles that would be known as Land Rovers. And the rest, as they say, is history. A key component of that history, one of the three Land Rover prototype vehicles – L03 – will be shown at Land Rover Legends later this month. L03 was driven from London to Amsterdam by a young Ernie Bacon (son of Mr. Bacon – the then manager of Rover Company’s London depot at Seagrave Road in Fulham). L03 was ‘despatched out’ of Seagrave Road by Mr. Bacon on Tuesday 27 April 1948, and driven to Amsterdam by a young Ernie to join the Rover Company showcase, launching what was to become among the most iconic automotive brands in the world.

A new engineer joined Great Britain’s sacred immortals at ceremonies here today. Emerging from the shadows, Reid Antony Railton stepped into the limelight of a spectacular career in the service of speed. His life and achievements are being celebrated by author Karl Ludvigsen in a new book titled Reid Railton — Man of Speed. ‘After World War 2’, said author and Railton expert Karl Ludvigsen,’ Britain often held the Triple Crown of Speed on land, sea and air. Railton’s vehicles were responsible for the absolute speed records on land and water.’ Speed kings Sir Malcolm Campbell, John Cobb and Goldie Gardner rode to fame in Railton-engineered craft. Car designs from his draughting board for Campbell were the first to 250 mph and 300 mph.

One of the most iconic and beautiful cars of all time, the Jaguar E-Type is a hugely desirable model for classic vehicle enthusiasts and lovers of the British automotive industry. However, with the first cars being created over half a century ago in 1961, some aren’t the perfect proposition for modern, everyday driving; this is where E-Type UK comes in. E-Type UK is one of the world’s leading authorities for all things Jaguar E-Type – from restoring and servicing all the way through to selling – and it offers the finest upgrades to bring the legendary Jaguar into the 21st century.

For our video of the week this time, we have an MG factory publicity video that comes to us via Pathé.  This film, Sports Car of the Year 1955-56, focuses on the newly introduced MGA. Starting with competition films from Le Mans, the Alpine Rally, and the Mille Miglia. The MGA, as most readers know, replaced the MG TF 1500 and represented a complete styling break from MG’s earlier sports cars – that styling having been developed for racing and records cars. Announced on September 26, 1955, the car was officially launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show. A total of 101,081 units were sold through the end of production in July 1962, the vast majority of which were exported. Only 5869 cars were sold on the home market, the lowest percentage of any British car. While now what one would call “impartial”, […]

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 […]