Classic Cars

We really appreciate the help from Take to the Road for our Video of the Week this go round. Titled “A Very British Wedge – The Triumph TR7”  this is the story of Triumph enthusiast Alan Gleaves who spent many years looking for a good TR7. In 2014 he found his dream car. To quote our friends at Take to the Road, Barn finds are very popular these days in the classic car classifieds world. The term itself is often applied to literally any car storage scenario which can raise a few eyebrows. Many are genuine “barn finds”, locked away and forgotten about for decades. Regardless of how the term is used, barn/garage finds always get classic car enthusiasts just a little bit excited. We all dream of one day of stumbling across an old classic parked up, covered in […]

Edward, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, was the devoted custodian of his family’s 7,000-acre Beaulieu Estate in Hampshire. He was also a champion of the historic vehicle movement and founder of the National Motor Museum. He played a major role in the preservation of England’s historic houses and the development of the UK tourism industry. He passed away Monday at the age of 88. Edward Montagu inherited the Beaulieu Estate on the death of his father, John Montagu, a motoring pioneer, when he was just two years old. The family seat, Palace House, was built around the original gatehouse of Beaulieu Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded on land granted to the Order by King John in 1204. The Estate was sold to Lord Montagu’s ancestor, Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, by Henry VIII in 1538. Lord Montagu was an […]

Scotland’s historical seat of power, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, is playing host to the 2015 Concours of Elegance from 4 to 6 September, with an impressive array of Bentley models taking centre stage. The prestigious, invitation-only event – which showcases 60 of the world’s rarest and most valuable cars – will feature six Bentley models ranging from a 1927 6 ½ Litre Vanden Plas tourer to a 1960 S2 Continental with H.J. Mulliner Fastback coachwork. Not only is the Mulliner name still closely associated with Bentley today, but it also has historical ties with the Scottish capital. In December 1909 John Croall & Sons Ltd of Edinburgh purchased a controlling shareholding in H. J. Mulliner & Co, which it held until 1959, where after the coachbuilding company officially became part of Bentley Motors Ltd. Other Bentley models on display at […]

Anglia Car Auctions continued its 2015 run of mega-sales as just shy of 300 cars came under the hammer on Saturday 22 August, resulting in around 75% of lots sold and a total of £2 million. Top price of the sale was the £152,250 including premium paid for a 2001 BMW Z8. The bright red Roadster, which has been sold new to the Middle East, had covered 55,000km from new and was one of just 77 available in that colour. A 1957 Austin-Healey 100/6 that was part of a Danish collection made £49,350 and a 1962 Jaguar E-type Coupe was bought for £49,350, both with premium. The 1980s performance models continue to strengthen in popularity with a 1987 Cosworth Sierra with 33,000 miles from new, owned by the vendor for ten years, made £30,450 and a 1983 XR4i with 45,000 […]

An MG sports car owned and driven during World War Two by the RAF hero Sir Douglas Bader is expected to sell for £80,000 at auction. The fighter pilot, who famously flew in the Battle of Britain despite losing both legs, was the first owner of the Midget TA Roadster. He bought it in 1938, seven years after he lost his legs, registering the open-top car to his address in upmarket Kensington, West London. The British car was powered by a 1.3-litre engine which gave it a top speed of around 80mph – an impressive speed for a 1930s sports car.   Autocar magazine tested the MG in 1937, with motoring journalists saying it gives “an unusually good performance for its engine size”. When the war broke out Bader rejoined the RAF and became one of the heroes of the […]

The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW) proudly announces today, with the support of Bridge of Weir Leather Company, that the first inductees to the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame will be confirmed on 3 September 2015. The venue for the inaugural Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame presentation will be the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh, which will play host to the opening party of the 2015 Concours of Elegance on the evening of 3 September 2015. The Concours of Elegance is among the world’s leading classic car events, and each year is held at a Royal Palace; with this year’s being held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from the 4th to 6th September. Announcing the Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame today, ASMW President, Alisdair Suttie, said: “I am so proud to be at the helm of the […]

Our Video of the Week is entitled The Big Drive and features the 1966 London Motor Show with its push for export of British cars to help the economy. In addition to the fabulous cut-away rotating BMC 1100 in the first few seconds, this video also features such innovative cars as the Triumph GT6, Singer-Rootes Chamois, and the Ford Executive. Competing cars from makers such as Ferrari and Honda are also briefly shown. These cars displayed as new nearly 50 years ago in 1966 is an amazing sight, and the film footage is very clear. But just as amazing is some of the commentary and the displays themselves. Take a look, and be wonder and maybe chuckle – hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Nowadays affectionately known as the ‘Aunty’ Rover, the dignified P4 series of cars was launched in 1949 to carry Britain’s Rover company into the postwar era. Rover’s well-deserved reputation for building high-quality cars and the marque’s upmarket image ensured that the P4 series appealed to the company’s traditional clientele – doctors, solicitors, bank managers and others of similar social rank. Despite the rather staid image of the P4 series, over the years the cars had many interesting features like the original ‘Cyclops’ central headlight, disc brakes, a freewheel device and overdrive. The larger-engined versions were also rather nifty and could whoosh their occupants along at a very unauntie-like pace! Production continued through several model variations – but always with four or six-cylinder engines – until 1964. In the meantime, Rover experimented with gas turbine power units in P4 bodies and […]

A very rare McLaren F1 has became the most expensive British car after it was sold as part of a record-breaking £43 million fleet. The 1998 McLaren F1, part of the Pinnacle Collection featuring 25 super-important models from the past 50 years, sold for £8.8 million – nearly $14 million USD. This made the super-rare hypercar, built in Woking, Surrey, the most expensive British car to ever sell publicly. The McLaren, capable of more than 240mph, is one of only two road-spec F1s upgraded by the British firm to LM specification.

Tigers East / Alpines East had a huge crowd at their Rootes United XXXIV in Dayton Ohio last the first weekend of August.  Nearly 90 Sunbeams and over 170 people attended.  Below is a time lapse video of owners leaving for the show last Saturday morning. Note the two Harrington’s in the first two parking spots. This show was held in conjunction with the Dayton British car show. With the 90 Sunbeam cars, they had a total of 370 British cars at the show which made a new record for them.  Another record for them was the long distance award which was given to a couple from the Sunbeam club who drove their Tiger from British Columbia 2800 miles to attend! Note: This report courtesy of Eric Gibeaut – owner of the first of the two Harringtons.

Concours of Elegance has confirmed the world-beating line-up of cars for its 2015 event at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, including an original 1912 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost London to Edinburgh car. One of six Rolls-Royce cars in the main Concours event, this particular model was inspired by the Silver Ghost’s return journey from London to Edinburgh in top gear – mimicking the Concours of Elegance’s journey from Hampton Court Palace in 2014 to Holyroodhouse this year. During the return trip, the Silver Ghost covered around 1600 miles using only its top gear, carrying four passengers and luggage, and achieving 24.3mpg. It was this feat that helped cement a reputation for the Silver Ghost as ‘the best car in the world.’

In contrast to the appalling weather in the run up to last year’s Simply Land Rover event, this weekend’s clear blue skies and warm sunshine encouraged Land Rover owners to make the journey to Beaulieu for this year’s Simply Land Rover on Sunday 9th August, to display their vehicles in the grounds of the National Motor Museum. Now in its third year the event saw a large increase in participating vehicles, up over one hundred on 2014 numbers at 270. It made for an impressive display of Land Rovers ranging from the classic Series I, II and III, to the rugged County and Defender, iconic Range Rover and capable Discovery. All Land Rover models and derivatives could be seen, from a battle-scarred workhorse to a pristine show-winner.

“Team Amelia” will again be part of the annual Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on August 13-16, 2015. The historic car races at Laguna Seca are a large part of the annual festival and celebration of classic, historic, competition and collector cars known simply worldwide as “Monterey Car Week.”

Huge crowds expected as free-to-view motor show prepares to take over London’s “Mile of Style” The Regent Street Motor Show is the largest free-to-view motor show in the UK, showcasing an impressive 125 years of motoring history and taking place on London’s most iconic shopping street on Saturday 31 October; a date for the diary. 2015 promises to bring a family-friendly, highly interactive feel to the Regent Street Motor Show. Celebrating the earliest days of motoring with the pre-1905 veteran cars on display as part of the prestigious EFG International Concours d’Elegance, a stunning array of present day and yester-year cars is an exciting opportunity to get a glimpse of what the future of motoring might hold. On the day of the Show, Regent Street will be closed to through traffic from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus, providing a safe environment […]

The new 16 MY Bentley Continental GT makes its North American debut at this year’s Monterey Auto Week, alongside inspiring models from Bentley’s past and future. In a nod to Bentley’s illustrious heritage and celebrating its 85th anniversary, the iconic 1930 Blower Bentley makes its dynamic appearance in the Quail Rally. The week will culminate with a look to Bentley’s future; the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept will be situated on the Concept Lawn at The Lodge on Sunday, a vision of iconic Bentley design cues fused with progressive craftsmanship techniques to showcase modern British luxury. Michael Winkler, President and CEO, Bentley Motors, Inc. comments: “The future of Bentley is now, and Pebble Beach is the perfect backdrop to showcase the new Continental GT alongside gems from our past and concepts for our exciting future. The new Continental GT is […]

OK, so we have had Jaguar and MG and Triumph and Healey and Aston Martin and even Sunbeam. Oh wait, Morgan and Morris and Rover too.So this week we are going to do a more general video. This week we are going to turn our attention to our general love – Classic British Cars. This video is part one of a multi-part series that covers the full range of British cars, from the sports car to the touring saloon. There are many classics in this video that you just don’t see anymore – for better or worse. Some of these cars have gone on to become valuable collector’s items, while some of them have disappeared into obscurity.  How I would love to see a full range of these at a British car show. Not that I don’t love row upon […]

An ultra-rare, unrestored and highly original 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Mk 1 Volante Vantage set a new record for Barons when it sold for £781,000 at Sandown Park on July 28th. The highest price ever achieved for a car at a Barons sale, it broke the auction house’s previous record of £739,000, set just three months ago for a 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback ‘barn find’. “We believe this may be a record for an unrestored example of this particular Aston Martin, so these are very exciting times for Barons,” said company director Peter Gascoigne. “The past six months since Tony Cavell and I took the reins have seen significant growth in the value and quality of cars across the sales, and in the overall sale results. To have two such cars within three months of each other is truly […]

Classic Car Auctions (CCA) will be offering a unique opportunity to own a ‘brand new’ 1983 Austin Metro Vanden Plas 500 in its sale at CarFest South on 29th August. The car, offered without reserve, has covered just 741 miles and had just one registered owner since new, forming part of the famous and historic Patrick Collection housed in Birmingham. Very few Vanden Plas Metros remain on the road, and this rare car, the second of only 500 built, is believed to be one of only five left in the UK.