Video of the Week

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.

MG Guru John Twist demonstrates the inner working of an MG transmission using a cut-a-way model. This video was taken in 2010 at a tech session hosted by Brit Bits, Inc. in Rye, NH. This demonstration was part of John’s “Complete Lubrication and Lucas Electrix” talk.

With Spring coming and car show season starting, we wanted to feature some car show activity, but maybe something a bit out of the norm. So, this week’s video features that British car show favorite rocker or valve cover racing! Yup, that’s right, our video this week comes from Doug Pelton at From The Frame Up and covers the finer points of vintage MG Rocker Racers. In valve cover racing, competitors must construct a vehicle using a valve cover from a car’s engine. In the case of British car events, the requirement is normally that this be from a British car. Additionally, the norm is that the racer must have four wheels. It can be decorated or modified within the rules set by the organizing body. The valve cover is powered by gravity. In a valve cover race, two or more racing valve covers […]

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 […]

Our Video of the Week this time comes from Moss Motors and their “magic hands”. Since winter is hopefully drawing to a close soon, we thought it would be a good idea to talk about starting up an engine that has been sitting for a while. Of course, the procedure will vary depending on where that time is just a few months or maybe a few years.  So, as always, your mileage may vary.  

Bugeye Sprites. Who doesn’t love them? They capture all of the fun and tradition of a British Sportscar in a package that is both adorable and adaptable. You can do anything with them from take a leisurely drive in the country to run full out in vintage racing. And, as many have said, you can have more fun going 50 to 60 miles per hour in a Sprite than you can by going 120 miles per hour in a larger car. Our video this week comes from the BugyeyeGuy and goes into the identification of the differences between the very first 1958 Bugyeye and the later models.

Let’s get bumpy this week!  Our Video of the Week this time is going to be a Morris 1100 television commercial from New Zealand featuring the car’s hydrolastic suspension. Made for the New Zealand British Motor Corporation (BMC) distributor Dominion Motors. If you don’t know, hydrolastic suspension was used on early Minis and the full line of BMC 1100 / 1300 cars, collectively known by their factory designation of ADO16. The ADO16s include the MG 1100, Austin America, Morris 1100, Vanden Plas Princess 1100, Riley Kestrel, and many more. At this point, BMC was huge into badge engineering. Hydrolastic suspension cars, at least in this form, use liquid-filled dampers at each of the four wheels instead of shocks and springs. Those dampers, which are basically large heavy rubber bladders, are connected front-to-back by hoses. This means that when the front left […]

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.

Our video this week deals with the last production MGB made and its continued travels. On October 23rd, 1980 the very last MGB Roadster rolled off the production line at the MG Car Company in Abingdon. After a while, this final specimen ended up in The Heritage Motor Center alongside 300 other classic, vintage, and veteran British cars. In fact, The Heritage Motor Center in Gaydon is the world’s largest British sports car collection. However, recognizing the importance of MG’s to the people of Abingdon, the Center was kind enough to loan that last MGB to Abingdon County Hall Museum for an indefinite period of time. There was only one problem with the loan – the display area at the museum is on the second floor of a historic building with winding stairs and no good way to get a full-sized car, even […]

In 1961, a young man takes a tour of the Jaguar factory in Coventry. He sees how the cars are built and gets a ride in a brand new XK-E. The video also features the Jaguar Mk 2 which was in its third year of production at this point, having been introduced in 1959.

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.

In this video we go behind the scenes at British Motor Heritage Limited, to show you the processes of manufacturing an MGB door. I knew that there were multiple layers of an MGB door but never realized how much actually goes into it. The way these reproduction doors are made in the video is exactly the same way they were made by the factory back in the day.

I teased it last week but to my surprise, you reacted with encouragement so this week our Video of the Week is about British model trains. The video we have below is one part of The Joy of Train Sets. Don’t worry, the other parts are linked further down. This 2012 documentary is from BBC Four’s Timeshift series. Fully titled The Model Railway Story: From Hornby to Triang and Beyond, this documentary explores how the British have been in love with model railways for more than a century. What began as an adult obsession with building fully-engineered replicas became the iconic toy of the 1950s and 60s childhood. With unique archive and contributions from modelers such as Pete Waterman, this is a celebration of the joys of miniaturization. Just don’t call them toy trains.

Our Video of the Week this time around is, as the Monty Python phrase goes, something completely different. The video is of Veronica Lamond’s book “Landy” read aloud. This is the first volume in the Landy Books Trilogy – introducing ‘Landy’ and his friends. A charming story for young children who love animals and the great outdoors. Parents and grandparents love reading it too. The Landybook series engage children in diverse, real-life activities through the lovable, animated characters of Landy (1956 Series 1) and Fender (1999 Defender). This Landy story, tells of Jack finding Landy abandoned at the bottom of a field and they then start their new life together. This Land Rover book is perfect for children aged 1 right through to 99. A classic traditional kids book you will all fall in love with.

Our Video of the Week this go-round is a Christmas card from carburetor guys Burlen. Burlen Ltd, the world’s only manufacturer of genuine SU (Skinners Union), AMAL and Zenith carburetors – has produced a truly epic Christmas video to get in the mood for the festive period in style. Firing up his rat-look modded 40s Chevy, Burlen director Jamie Burnett goes out in search of the perfect Christmas tree, shattering the peace of the festive season and worrying the odd chicken. Sure the V8 Chevy isn’t British, but the company is and the spirit is right.

This week we are going to take a look at a scarce true classic, the Triumph Roadster. In the case of this video from Classic Cars UK series by Ian Sandall, the car is, in fact, a beautiful red 1948 Triumph Roadster 1800. The Triumph Roadster was produced by the Standard Motor Company from 1946 to 1949. It was first available as the Triumph 1800 Roadster from 1946 to 1948 and then as the Triumph 2000 Roadster from 1948 to 1949. Remember that Standard had purchased Triumph in 1945. So, at this point, the parent company was Standard, but the brand was indeed Triumph.

I hear a lot how young people aren’t into our older British cars, but I think that sometimes that is just because they haven’t been given the chance. To show how some younger folk view our classic sports cars, our video this week is from a guy who goes by the YouTube handle of ThatDudeInBlue. The video, a review of a nice MGB, is quite honest and although he approaches the car from a distinctively modern viewpoint, it is clear that he enjoys the ride. The reviewer is very honest in talking about both the successes and the shortcomings of the MGB. He mentions how the cars have a reputation for unreliability, though it seems he doesn’t take much stock in that. In contrast to being a bit small and perhaps underpowered, he talks about how the MGB and other […]